Viverrinae

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Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Carnivora
Family:Viverridae
Viverrinae
Temporal range: Miocene–Present[1]
African civet (Civettictis civetta)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Viverridae
Subfamily: Viverrinae
Gray, 1864
Genera

The Viverrinae represent the largest subfamily of the Viverridae comprising three genera, which are subdivided into six species native to Africa and Southeast Asia.[2] This subfamily was denominated and first described by John Edward Gray in 1864.[3]

Gray defined the Viverrinae as comprising the genera Proteles, Viverra, Bassaris and Viverricula. He subordinated the genera Genetta and Fossa to the Genettina, the genera Prionodon and Poiana to the Prionodontinae.[3] Reginald Innes Pocock suggested that the African genets (Genetta) are also most nearly related to the Viverrinae, but should perhaps form a separate subfamily.[4] William King Gregory and Milo Hellman placed the Viverra, Viverricula, Civettictis, Genetta, Osbornictis, Poiana and the North-American eucreodine genera Didymictis and Viverravus of the Eocene into this viverrid subfamily.[5] Ellerman and Morrison-Scott also included the genus Prionodon.[6]

DNA analysis based on 29 Carnivora species comprising 13 Viverrinae species and three species representing Paradoxurus, Paguma and Hemigalinae supports the placement of Prionodon in the monogeneric family Prionodontidae as the sister-group of the Felidae. These investigations also clarified the controversial issue of the boundaries of this subfamily supporting the Viverrinae as being constituted by two monophyletic groups, namely the terrestrial civets CivettictisViverraViverricula and PoianaGenetta.[7]

At present, the Viverrinae comprise:[8][9]

GenusSpeciesIUCN Red List status and distribution
Viverra Linnaeus, 1758[10] Large Indian civet (V. zibetha) Linnaeus, 1758[10]
LC[11]
Malayan civet (V. tangalunga) Gray, 1832[12]
LC[13]
Malabar large-spotted civet (V. civettina) Blyth, 1862[14] CR[15]
Large-spotted civet (V. megaspila) Blyth, 1862[14]
EN[16]
Viverricula Hodgson, 1838[17] Small Indian civet (V. indica) Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803[18]
LC[19]
Civettictis Pocock, 1915[20] African civet (C. civetta) (Schreber, 1776)[21]
LC[22]

Characteristics

Distribution and ecology

References

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