Aonyx
Genus of carnivores
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aonyx is a genus of otters, containing three species, the African clawless otter, the Congo clawless otter, and the Asian small-clawed otter. The word aonyx means "clawless", derived from the prefix a- ("without") and onyx ("claw/hoof").
| Aonyx[1] | |
|---|---|
| |
| Aonyx cinereus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Subfamily: | Lutrinae |
| Genus: | Aonyx Lesson, 1827[2] |
| Type species | |
| Aonyx delalandi[a][1] Lesson, 1827 | |
| Synonyms[3][1] | |
Taxonomy
Three species are currently recognised:[10][11]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African clawless otter
|
Aonyx capensis Schinz, 1821 Five subspecies
|
sub-Saharan Africa |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
NT
|
| Congo clawless otter
|
Aonyx congicus Lönnberg, 1910 |
Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, Uganda, and possibly Burundi and Nigeria |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
NT
|
| Asian small-clawed otter
|
Aonyx cinereus (Illiger, 1815) |
South and Southeast Asia |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
VU
|
Zoologists differ as to whether or not to include the Asian small-clawed otter in this genus, or in its own genus Amblonyx.[12][13] They also differ as to whether the Congo clawless otter is a species, or is conspecific with the African clawless otter.[14][15][16][17][18]
Notes
- Type species by subsequent designation (Palmer 1904).
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