Viverridae

Viverridae is a family of small to medium-sized mammals, the viverrids (/vaɪˈvɛrɪdz/), comprising 15 genera, which are subdivided into 38 species.[1] This family was named and first described by John Edward Gray in 1821.[3] Viverrids occur all over Africa, into southern Europe, in South and Southeast Asia across the Wallace Line. Their occurrence in Sulawesi and in some of the adjoining islands shows them to be ancient inhabitants of the Old World tropics.[4]

Viverridae[1] Temporal range: 34–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Eocene to Recent[2]
Viverrids, including (top left to bottom right), species of Paradoxurus, Genetta, Paguma and Arctictis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Feliformia
Infraorder:	Viverroidea
Family:	Viverridae Gray, 1821
Genera
Subfamily Genettinae Genetta Poiana Subfamily Hemigalinae Hemigalus Chrotogale Cynogale Diplogale Macrogalidia Subfamily Paradoxurinae Paradoxurus Paguma Arctictis Arctogalidia †Kanuites †Kichechia †Siamictis †Tugenictis Subfamily Viverrinae Civettictis Viverra Viverricula †Semigenetta

Characteristics

Binturong (Arctictis binturong) on display at the Museum of Osteology

Viverrids have four or five toes on each foot and half-retractile claws. They have six incisors in each jaw and molars with two tubercular grinders behind in the upper jaw, and one in the lower jaw. The tongue is rough with sharp prickles. A pouch or gland occurs beneath the anus, but there is no cecum.[3]

Viverrids are the most primitive of all the families of feliform Carnivora and clearly less specialized than the Felidae. In external characteristics, they are distinguished from the Felidae by the longer muzzle and tuft of facial vibrissae between the lower jaw bones, and by the shorter limbs and the five-toed hind foot with the first digit present. The skull differs by the position of the postpalatine foramina on the maxilla, almost always well in advance of the maxillopalatine suture, and usually about the level of the second premolar; and by the distinct external division of the auditory bulla into its two elements either by a definite groove or, when rarely this is obliterated, by the depression of the tympanic bone in front of the swollen entotympanic. The typical dental formula is: 3.1.4.23.1.4.2, but the number may be reduced, although never to the same extent as in the Felidae.[4]

Their flesh-shearing carnassial teeth are relatively undeveloped compared to those of other feliform carnivores. [5] Most viverrid species have a penis bone (a baculum).[6]

Classification

Living species

In 1821, Gray defined this family as consisting of the genera Viverra, Genetta, Herpestes, and Suricata.[3] Reginald Innes Pocock later redefined the family as containing a great number of highly diversified genera, and being susceptible of division into several subfamilies, based mainly on the structure of the feet and of some highly specialized scent glands, derived from the skin, which are present in most of the species and are situated in the region of the external generative organs. He subordinated the subfamilies Hemigalinae, Paradoxurinae, Prionodontinae, and Viverrinae to the Viverridae.[4]

In 1833, Edward Turner Bennett described the Malagasy fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) and subordinated the Cryptoprocta to the Viverridae.[7] A molecular and morphological analysis based on DNA/DNA hybridization experiments suggests that Cryptoprocta does not belong within Viverridae, but is a member of the Eupleridae.[8]

The African palm civet (Nandinia binotata) resembles the civets of the Viverridae, but is genetically distinct and belongs in its own monotypic family, the Nandiniidae. There is little dispute that the Poiana species are viverrids.[1]

DNA analysis based on 29 Carnivora species, comprising 13 Viverrinae species and three species representing Paradoxurus, Paguma and Hemigalinae, confirmed Pocock's assumption that the African linsang Poiana represents the sister group of the genus Genetta. The placement of Prionodon as the sister group of the family Felidae is strongly supported, and it was proposed that the Asiatic linsangs be placed in the monogeneric family Prionodontidae.[9]

Family Viverridae[2][1][10]

Subfamily	Genus	Species	Image of type species
Viverrinae	Viverra Linnaeus, 1758[11]	Large Indian civet (V. zibetha) Linnaeus, 1758[11] Malayan civet (V. tangalunga) Gray, 1832[12] Malabar large-spotted civet (V. civettina) Blyth, 1862[13] Large-spotted civet (V. megaspila) Blyth, 1862[13]
	Viverricula Hodgson, 1838[14]	Small Indian civet (V. indica) (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803)[15]
	Civettictis Pocock, 1915[16]	African civet (C. civetta) (Schreber, 1776)[17]
Hemigalinae Gray, 1864[18]
	Hemigalus Jourdan, 1837[19]	Banded palm civet (H. derbyanus) Jourdan, 1837[19]
	Cynogale Gray, 1836[20]	Otter civet (C. bennettii) Gray, 1836[20]
	Diplogale Thomas, 1912[21]	Hose's palm civet (D. hosei) (Thomas, 1892)[22]
	Macrogalidia Schwarz, 1910[23]	Sulawesi palm civet (M. musschenbroekii) (Schlegel, 1877)[24]
	Chrotogale Thomas, 1912[21]	Owston's palm civet (C. owstoni) Thomas, 1912[21]
Paradoxurinae Gray, 1864[18]	Paradoxurus Cuvier, 1822[25]	Asian palm civet (P. hermaphroditus) (Pallas, 1777)[26] Golden palm civet (P. zeylonensis) (Pallas, 1778)[27] Brown palm civet (P. jerdoni) Blanford, 1885[28]
	Arctictis Temminck, 1824[29]	Binturong (A. binturong) (Raffles, 1822)[30]
	Paguma Gray, 1831[31]	Masked palm civet (P. larvata) (Smith, 1827)[32]
	Arctogalidia Merriam, 1897[33]	Small-toothed palm civet (A. trivirgata) (Gray, 1832)[34]
Genettinae	Genetta Cuvier, 1816[35]	Common genet (G. genetta) (Linnaeus, 1758)[36] Cape genet (G. tigrina) (Schreber, 1778)[37] South African small-spotted genet (G. felina) (Thunberg, 1811) Rusty-spotted genet (G. maculata) (Gray, 1828)[38] Pardine genet (G. pardina) Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1832 Abyssinian genet (G. abyssinica) (Rüppell, 1835) King genet (G. poensis) Waterhouse, 1838[39] Servaline genet (G. servalina) Pucheran, 1855 Angolan genet (G. angolensis) Bocage, 1882 Giant forest genet (G. victoriae) Thomas, 1901[40] Haussa genet (G. thierryi) Matschie, 1902 G. letabae Thomas and Schwann, 1906[41] Johnston's genet (G. johnstoni) (Pocock, 1908) Aquatic genet (G. piscivora) (Allen, 1919)[42] Crested servaline genet (G. cristata) Hayman, 1940 Schouteden’s genet (G. schoutedeni) Crawford-Cabral, 1970 Bourlon's genet (G. bourloni) Gaubert, 2003[43]
	Poiana Gray, 1864[18]	Central African oyan (P. richardsonii) (Thomson, 1842)[44] West African oyan (P. leightoni) (Pocock, 1907)[45]

Phylogeny

The phylogenetic relationships of Viverridae are shown in the following cladogram:[2][10]

Viverridae

Paradoxurinae         Paradoxurus        Golden palm civet P. zeylonensis     Jerdon's palm civet P. jerdoni         Asian palm civet P. hermaphroditus      Macrogalidia  Sulawesi palm civet M. musschenbroekii      Paguma  Masked palm civet P. larvata      Arctictis  Binturong A. binturong      Arctogalidia  Small-toothed palm civet A. trivirgata      Hemigalinae   Cynogale  Otter civet C. bennettii      Chrotogale  Owston's palm civet C. owstoni      Diplogale  Hose's palm civet D. hosei    Hemigalus  Banded palm civet H. derbyanus            Viverrinae   Viverrinae     Viverra        Malabar large-spotted civet V. civettina     Large-spotted civet V. megaspila       Large Indian civet V. zibetha       Malayan civet V. tangalunga      Civettictis  African civet C. civetta      Viverricula  Small Indian civet V. indica    sensu stricto   Genettinae   Poiana    West African oyan P. leightoni     Central African oyan P. richardsonii      Genetta      Abyssinian genet G. abyssinica     Haussa genet G. thierryi         Giant forest genet G. victoriae       Johnston's genet G. johnstoni           Aquatic genet G. piscivora     Servaline genet G. servalina       Crested servaline genet G. cristata         South African small-spotted genet G. felina     Common genet G. genetta       Cape genet G. tigrina       G. letabae     Schouteden’s genet G. schoutedeni     Rusty-spotted genet G. maculata         Angolan genet G. angolensis     Pardine genet G. pardina         Bourlon's genet G. bourloni     King genet G. poensis                        sensu lato

Extinct species

Subfamily	Genus	Species
Viverrinae	Viverra Linnaeus, 1758	Leakey's civet (V. leakeyi) Leakey, 1982
	Semigenetta Helbing 1927	†S. cadeoti Roman and Viret 1934 †S. elegans Dehm, 1950 †S. grandis Crusafont & Golpe, 1981 †S. laugnacensis De Bonis, 1973 †S. ripolli Petter, 1976 †S. sansaniensis Lartet, 1851
Paradoxurinae	Kichechia Savage, 1965[46]	†K. zamanae[46] †K. savagei[47]
	Tugenictis Morales & Pickford, 2005[48][49]	†T. ngororaensis[48] Morales & Pickford, 2005
	Kanuites Dehghani & Werdelin, 2008[50]	†K. lewisae[50] Dehghani & Werdelin, 2008
	Siamictis Grohé et al., 2020[51]	†S. carbonensis[51] Grohé et al., 2020

Ecology and behavior

They are generally solitary and have excellent hearing and vision. They are omnivorous; the palm civet is almost entirely herbivorous.[5]

Favored habitats include woodland, savanna, mountains, and above all tropical rainforest. Due to heavy deforestation, many face severe habitat loss. Several species, such as the Hose's palm civet, which is endemic to northern Borneo, are considered vulnerable. The otter civet is classified as endangered.[1]

See also

• List of viverrids

References

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2. Gaubert, P. & Cordeiro-Estrela, P. (2006). "Phylogenetic systematics and tempo of evolution of the Viverrinae (Mammalia, Carnivora, Viverridae) within feliformians: implications for faunal exchanges between Asia and Africa" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 41 (2): 266–278. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.05.034. PMID 16837215.
3. Gray, J. E. (1821). "On the natural arrangement of vertebrose animals". London Medical Repository. 15 (1): 296–310.
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45. Pocock, R. I. (1907). "Report upon a Small Collection of Mammalia brought from Liberia by Mr. Leonard Leighton". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (November): 1037–1046.
46. Savage, R. J. G. (1965). "Fossil mammals of Africa: 19, The Miocene Carnivora of East Africa". Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). 10 (8): 239–316.
47. Adrian, B.; Werdelin, L. & Grossman, A. (2018). "New Miocene Carnivora (Mammalia) from Moruorot and Kalodirr, Kenya" (PDF). Palaeontologia Electronica. 21 (1 10A): 1–19. doi:10.26879/778.
48. Morales, J. & Pickford, M. (2005). "Carnivores from the Middle Miocene Ngorora Formation (13-12 Ma), Kenya" (PDF). Estudios Geológicos. 61: 271–284. doi:10.3989/egeol.05613-668.
49. Werdelin, L. (2019). "Middle Miocene Carnivora and Hyaenodonta from Fort Ternan, western Kenya" (PDF). Geodiversitas. 41 (6).
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51. Grohé, C.; Bonis, L. D.; Chaimanee, Y.; Chavasseau, O.; Rugbumrung, M.; Yamee, C.; Suraprasit, K.; Gibert, C.; Surault, J.; Blondel, C.; Jaeger, J.-J. (2020). "The Late Middle Miocene Mae Moh Basin of Northern Thailand: The Richest Neogene Assemblage of Carnivora from Southeast Asia and a Paleobiogeographic Analysis of Miocene Asian Carnivorans". American Museum Novitates. 2020 (3952): 1–57. doi:10.1206/3952.1.

External links

• "Genet: Wildlife summary". African Wildlife Foundation.
• University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web page
• ITIS page
• The Straight Dope on Civet Cats