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Published December 31, 2005 | Version v1
Taxonomic treatment Open

Mephitidae Bonaparte 1845

Authors/Creators

Description

Mephitidae Bonaparte 1845

Mephitidae Bonaparte 1845, Cat. Meth. Mamm. Europe: 1.

Synonyms: Myadina Gray 1825; Mydaina Gray 1864.

Genera: 4 genera with 12 species:

Genus Conepatus Gray 1837 (4 species with 19 subspecies)

Genus Mephitis E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire and F. G. Cuvier 1795 (2 species with 17 subspecies)

Genus Mydaus F. G. Cuvier 1821 (2 species with 3 subspecies)

Genus Spilogale Gray 1865 (4 species with 18 subspecies)

Discussion: The traditional Mustelidae (including skunks) has always been a problematic group. Radinsky (1973) first proposed a relationship between the Mephitinae (sensu Simpson, 1945) and Mydaus. Morphological studies seem to provide some support for a monophyletic Mustelidae (Hunt, 1974; Wolsan, 1999; Wozencraft, 1989; Wyss and Flynn, 1993). However, Bryant et al. (1993), Ledje and Arnason (1996), and Bininda-Emonds et al. (1999) showed support for Radinsky's Mephitinae Mydaus group. Dragoo and Honeycutt (1997) and Flynn et al. (2000) provided a thorough review of the relationships of these groups and followed others (Árnason and Widegren, 1986; Ledje and Árnason, 1996; Wayne et al., 1989) in the recognition of a paraphyletic traditional Mustelidae. I have chosen to follow Dragoo and Honeycutt (1997) and Flynn et al. (2000) in the separation of Mephitis, Conepatus, Spilogale and Mydaus from the remaining mustelids. But see Wolsan (1999) for support of a monophyletic Mustelidae.

Notes

Published as part of Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Carnivora, pp. 532-628 in Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 1, Baltimore :The Johns Hopkins University Press on page 620, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7316519

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Linked records

Additional details

Identifiers

URL
http://treatment.plazi.org/id/5E536D7E2EA22EC3B9ED65F60D45AC0B

Related works

Is part of
Book chapter: 10.5281/zenodo.7316519 (DOI)
Book chapter: http://publication.plazi.org/id/E69BF2968277AF6992A8FF32E9D4E7ED (URL)
Is source of
https://biodiversitypmc.sibils.org/collections/plazi/5E536D7E2EA22EC3B9ED65F60D45AC0B (URL)
https://www.gbif.org/species/231548329 (URL)

Biodiversity

Scientific name authorship
Bonaparte
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Order
Carnivora
Family
Mephitidae
Taxon rank
family
Taxonomic concept label
Mephitidae Bonaparte, 1845 sec. Wilson & Reeder, 2005

References

  • Bonaparte, C. - L. J. L. 1845. Catalogo methodico dei mammiferi Europei. L. di Giacomo Pirola, Milano, 36 pp.
  • Gray, J. E. 1825. Outline of an attempt at the disposition of the Mammalia into tribes and families with a list of the genera apparently appertaining to each tribe. Annals of Philosophy, n. s., ser. 2, 10: 337 - 344.
  • Gray, J. E. 1864 [1865]. A revision of the genera and species of viverrine animals (Viverridae) founded on the collection in the British Museum. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1864: 502 - 579.
  • Gray, J. E. 1837 [1838]. On a new species of paradoxure (Paradoxurus derbianus) with remarks on some Mammalia recently purchased by the British Museum, and characters of the new species. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1837: 67.
  • Radinsky, L. B. 1973. Are stink badgers skunks? Implications of neuroanatomy for mustelid phylogeny. Journal of Mammalogy, 54: 585 - 593.
  • Simpson, G. G. 1945. The principles of classification and a classification of mammals. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 85: 1 - 350.
  • Hunt, R. M., Jr. 1974. The auditory bulla in Carnivora: An anatomical basis for reappraisal of carnivore evolution. Journal of Morphology, 143: 21 - 76.
  • Wolsan, M. 1999. Oldest mephitine cranium and its implications for the origin of skunks. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 44: 223 - 230.
  • Wyss, A. R., and J. J. Flynn. 1993. A phylogenetic analysis and definition of the Carnivora. Pp. 32 - 52, in Mammal Phylogeny: Placentals (F. S. Szalay, M. J. Novacek, and M. C. McKenna, eds.). Placentals Springer-Verlag, New York, 2: 1 - 321.
  • Bryant, H. N., A. P. Russell, and W. D. Fitch. 1993. Phylogenetic relationships within the extant Mustelidae (Carnivora): Appraisal of the cladistic status of the Simpsonian subfamilies. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 108: 301 - 334.
  • Ledje, C., and U. Arnason. 1996. Phylogenetic relationships within caniform carnivores based on analyses of the mitochondrial 12 S rRNA gene. Journal of Molecular Evolution, 43: 641 - 649.
  • Bininda-Emonds, O. R. P., J. L. Gittleman, and A. Purvis. 1999. Building large trees by combining phylogenetic information: A complete phylogeny of the extant Carnivora (Mammalia). Biological Reviews, 74: 143 - 175.
  • Dragoo, J. W., and R. L. Honeycutt. 1997. Systematics of mustelid-like carnivores. Journal of Mammalogy, 78: 426 - 443.
  • Flynn, J. J., M. A. Nedbal, J. W. Dragoo, and R. L. Honeycutt. 2000. Whence the red panda? Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 17: 190 - 199.
  • Wayne, R. K., R. E. Benveniste, and S. J. O'Brien. 1989. Phylogeny and evolution of the Carnivora and carnivore families, Pp. 465 - 494, in, Carnivore behavior, ecology and evolution (J. L. Gittleman, ed.). Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 620 pp.