This tree squirrel is centered on Mindanao. Its 1890 original description notes a dark-gray back and reddish areas around the nose and feet; later surveys also recorded specimens on nearby islands.
The original description says the back is dark gray, with hairs black at the base and buff-tipped, darker along the midline. The nose, eye area, and upper feet are reddish gray; the underside is ashy.
A 2024 Philippine environment department team documented it at Mount Apo. A 1982 museum survey reports specimens on Dinagat and Siargao and says Philippine Sundasciurus taxonomy needs revision.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.