Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel vs

Trogopterus xanthipes compared with Hydnellum compactum

Key Differences

• Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel is Near Threatened while is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel
Kingdom	Animalia (動物)	Fungi (菌界)
Phylum	Chordata (脊索動物)	Basidiomycota (担子菌門)
Class	Mammalia (哺乳類)	Agaricomycetes (真正担子菌綱)
Order	Rodentia (ネズミ目)	Thelephorales (イボタケ目)
Family	Sciuridae (Squirrels)	Bankeraceae
Genus	Trogopterus	Hydnellum
Species	Trogopterus xanthipes	Hydnellum compactum

Conservation Status

Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel

NT — Near Threatened

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Complex-toothed Flying Squirrel

<em>Trogopterus xanthipes</em>, the complex-toothed flying squirrel, is a medium-sized gliding rodent in the family Pteromyidae endemic to China, where it inhabits montane broadleaf and mixed forests at elevations typically between 1,000 and 2,700 metres in provinces including Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hubei, and neighbouring regions. This species is the sole member of the genus Trogopterus and is distinguished by complex tooth morphology compared to other flying squirrels. Like all flying squirrels, it possesses a patagium — a gliding membrane stretching between fore and hind limbs — that enables it to glide between trees rather than undertake powered flight. The complex-toothed flying squirrel is nocturnal and arboreal, spending its days sheltering in tree hollows and foraging at night for leaves, bark, seeds, and fungi. Its faeces, known as Wuflingzhi, have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, leading to trapping pressure in parts of its range. The IUCN classifies this species as Near Threatened, reflecting population decline driven by overhunting for medicinal use and ongoing habitat loss from logging and agricultural encroachment in montane forests. Biological traits including average body mass, lifespan, litter size, and home range are partially documented but detailed population estimates are limited. Conservation measures include legal protections under Chinese wildlife law.

Hydnellum compactumは下面にトゲを持つ緻密な黄褐色〜錆褐色の傘表面をもつ有柄の歯菌類である。欧州と北米の一部の針葉樹林の林床に生育し、マツ、トウヒ、モミと外生菌根共生関係を形成する。