The belly or ventral part of this squirrel is greyish, and the back is a darker grey/brown. The throat and chest can be pale cream. A buffy grey or reddish-brown patch is seen on the underside of the tail. The underside of the throat can be told apart from the Asian red-cheeked squirrel D. rufigenis by the lack of red cheeks and red colouration on the underside of the tail, and from the Orange-bellied Himalayan squirrel D. lokriah by the lack of orange underside.

The species is found in Northeast India (Arunachal Pradesh)), southern and central China, northern Myanmar, northern Vietnam, and Taiwan.

It occurs in coniferous and evergreen broadleaf forests, usually between 2000 - 3500 m asl. It is known to occur in protected planted pine, can be found in larger numbers in areas with shrubs

They are known to forage in the forest canopy and eat ripe fruit. It is considered to play a role in the dispersal of pine seeds. It has also been recorded preying on the eggs and young of the blue-crowned laughing thrush in Wuyuan County (Jiangxi, China).

The call of this species is louder, with greater power and resonance than that of D. lokriah.