Mustelidae

Tayra Eira barbara, from here.

Belongs within: Musteloidea.
Contains: Galictis, Martes, Mustela, Lutra.

The Mustelidae are an assemblage of mostly fairly small caniform carnivorans, and the largest of the traditionally recognised caniform 'families'. Among its members are such animals as weasels, stoats, polecats, badgers, mink and otters. Skunks, previously treated as a subfamily of Mustelidae, are now excluded from the family, while certain of the traditional subfamilies are now recognised as paraphyletic (Finarelli & Flynn 2006). The otters of the Lutrinae are believed to be closely related to the (probably paraphyletic) Mustelinae, including the weasels, ferrets and related taxa. The badgers of the Melinae are stocky animals with powerful jaws and a dentition adapted for crushing, with broad, flat and multicusped molars (Harris 1984).

See also: How the badger became (Taxon of the Week: Meles thorali).

Synapomorphies (from Flynn et al. 1988): Suprameatal fossa either closed or shallow, floored by meatus and opening medially; P⁴ lacking carnassial notch; one upper and two lower molars.

<==Mustelidae
    |  i. s.: Plesiogulo TH03
    |         Oligobunis floridanus V91
    |         Ischyrictis V91
    |         Sthenictis V91
    |         Aeleurocyon V91
    |         Paroligobunis V91
    |         Paragale huerzeleri T76
    |         Amblonyx cinereus IT07
    |--Mellivora [Mellivorinae] K84a
    |    |--M. capensis K84a
    |    `--M. punjabiensis S78
    |--Melinae TH03
    |    |--Arctonyx collaris TH03, H84
    |    |--Suillotaxus marchei H84
    |    |--Promeles macedonicus WW04
    |    |--Taxidea taxus (Schreber 1778) K84a, B75 [=Ursus taxus B75]
    |    |    |--T. t. taxus MB86
    |    |    `--T. t. berlandieri Baird 1858 MB86
    |    |--Mydaus H84
    |    |    |--M. javanensis H84
    |    |    `--M. marchei IT07
    |    |--Melogale K84a
    |    |    |--M. everetti IT07
    |    |    |--M. moschata H84
    |    |    |--M. orientalis H84
    |    |    `--M. personata H84
    |    |--Meles TH03
    |    |    |--M. meles K84a
    |    |    |    |--M. m. meles M76
    |    |    |    `--M. m. amakuma Temminck 1844 M76
    |    |    |--M. thorali TH03
    |    |    `--M. vulgaris T66
    |    `--Melodon WW04
    |         |--M. sotnikovae (Tedford & Harrington 2003) WW04, TH03 [=Arctomeles sotnikovae WW04]
    |         `--+--*M. majori WW04
    |            `--Arctomeles WW04
    |                 |--*A. pliocaenicus Stach 1951 TH03
    |                 |--A. dimolodontus Wallace & Wang 2004 WW04
    |                 |--A. ferus (Roshchin 1949) [=Parameles ferus] TH03
    |                 |--A. gennevauxi (Viret 1939) [=Meles gennevauxi] TH03
    |                 `--A. suillus (Teilhard & LeRoy 1945) [=Meles suillus] TH03
    |--Eira Hamilton Smith 1942 C57 [incl. Galera Gray 1865 C57, Tayra Allen 1902 C57; Tayrinae G69]
    |    `--E. barbara (Linné 1758) (see below for synonymy) C57
    |         |--E. b. barbara (see below for synonymy) C57
    |         |--E. b. madeirensis (Lönnberg 1913) [=Tayra barbara madeirensis] C57
    |         |--E. b. peruana (Nehring 1886) (see below for synonymy) C57
    |         |--E. b. poliocephala (Traill 1821) (see below for synonymy) C57
    |         |--E. b. senex G69
    |         `--E. b. sinuensis (Humboldt 1812) (see below for synonymy) C57
    `--Mustelinae P84
         |  i. s.: Vormela peregusna Güldenstaedt 1770 K84b, OS00
         |           |--V. p. peregusna OS00
         |           |--V. p. alpherakyi OS00
         |           `--V. p. syriacus Pocock 1936 OS00
         |         Poecilictis libyca K84b
         |         Poecilogale albinucha K84b
         |         Galictis K84b
         |         Gulo gulo K84a
         |           |--G. g. gulo B75
         |           `--G. g. luscus (Linnaeus 1758) [=Ursus luscus] B75
         |         Lyncodon Gervais in D’Orbigny 1845 C57
         |           `--*L. patagonicus (Blainville 1842) [=Mustela patagonica] C57
         |                |--L. p. patagonicus (see below for synonymy) C57
         |                `--L. p. thomasi Cabrera 1928 C57
         |         Ictonyx K84b
         |           |--I. kalaharicus S78
         |           |--I. libyca IT07
         |           |--I. orangiae S78
         |           `--I. striatus K84b
         |--Martes FF06
         `--+--Mustela FF06
            `--Lutrinae FF06
                 |--Lutra K84a
                 |--Hydrictis maculicollis K84a
                 |--Lutrogale Gray 1865 [incl. Isolalutra Symeonides & Sondaar 1975] AC98
                 |    |--L. cretensis (Symeonides & Sondaar 1975) AC98
                 |    `--L. perspicillata D84
                 |--Enhydriodon S78
                 |    |--E. africanus S78
                 |    `--E. pattersoni S78
                 |--Pteronura Gray 1837 [=Pteroneura (l. c.), Pterura Wiegmann 1839] C57
                 |    `--P. brasiliensis (Gmelin 1788) (see below for synonymy) C57
                 |         |--P. b. brasiliensis (see below for synonymy) C57
                 |         `--P. b. paranensis (Rengger 1830) (see below for synonymy) C57
                 |--Aonyx K84a
                 |    |--A. capensis K84a
                 |    |--A. cinerea K84a
                 |    `--A. congicus IT07
                 |--Paraonyx S78
                 |    |--P. congica S78
                 |    |--P. microdon S78
                 |    `--P. philippsi S78
                 |--Enhydra K84a
                 |    |--E. lutris (Linnaeus 1758) I92 [=Mustela lutris C57]
                 |    |    |--E. l. lutris [incl. Lutra gracilis Bechstein 1800] C57
                 |    |    `--E. l. nereis BP87
                 |    `--E. macrodonta BDR85
                 |--Algarolutra Malatesta & Willemsen 1986 AC98
                 |    `--*A. majori (Malatesta 1978) AC98
                 |--Cyrnaonix Helbing 1935 AC98
                 |--Megalenhydris Willemsen & Malatesta 1987 AC98
                 |    `--*M. barbaricina Willemsen & Malatesta 1987 AC98
                 `--Sardolutra Willemsen 1992 AC98
                      `--*S. ichnusae (Malatesta 1977) [=Nesolutra ichnusae] AC98

Eira barbara (Linné 1758) [=Mustela barbara, Galera barbara, Galera barbata, Galictis barbara, Gulo barbarus, Gulo barbatus, Tayra barbara] C57

Eira barbara barbara (Linné 1758) [incl. Gulo canescens Lichtenstein 1825, Mustela gulina Schinz 1821, Tayra barbara gulina, T. barbara kriegi Krumbiegal 1942, T. barbara tucumana Lönnberg 1913] C57

Eira barbara peruana (Nehring 1886) [=Galictis barbara var. peruana, Tayra barbara peruana; incl. Galera barbara brunnea Thomas 1907] C57

Eira barbara poliocephala (Traill 1821) [=Viverra poliocephalus, Tayra barbara poliocephala; incl. *E. ilya Hamilton Smith 1842, Gulo leira Cuvier 1849] C57

Eira barbara sinuensis (Humboldt 1812) [=Mustela sinuensis, Tayra barbara sinuensis; incl. Galera barbara var. bimaculata Martínez 1873, T. barbara bimaculata, Galictis barbara biologiae Thomas 1900, T. barbara biologiae, T. barbara irara Allen 1904, T. barbara senilis Allen 1913] C57

Lyncodon patagonicus patagonicus (Blainville 1842) [incl. Mustela anticola Burmeister 1869 (n. n.), L. lujanensis Ameghino 1889] C57

Pteronura brasiliensis (Gmelin 1788) [=Mustela lutris brasiliensis, Lontra brasiliensis, Lutra brasiliana, Lutra brasiliensis, Pteroneura braziliensis] C57

Pteronura brasiliensis brasiliensis (Gmelin 1788) [incl. Lutra lupina Schinz 1821, Pteronura brasiliensis lupina, *Pteronura sambachii Gray 1837, Pteronura sandbachii, Pterura sanbachii] C57

Pteronura brasiliensis paranensis (Rengger 1830) [=Lutra (Pteronura) paranensis; incl. L. paraguensis Schinz 1821 non Kerr 1792] C57

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

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[BDR85] Barnes, L. G., D. P. Domning & C. E. Ray. 1985. Status of studies on fossil marine mammals. Marine Mammal Science 1 (1): 15–53.

[B75] Bowles, J. B. 1975. Distribution and biogeography of mammals of Iowa. Special Publications, The Museum, Texas Tech University 9: 1–184.

[BP87] Burton, J. A., & B. Pearson. 1987. Collins Guide to the Rare Mammals of the World. Collins: London.

[C57] Cabrera, A. 1957. Catalogo de los mamiferos de America del Sur. I (Metatheria—Unguiculata—Carnivora). Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” e Instituto Nacional de Investigacion de Las Ciencias Naturales, Ciencias Zoológicas 4 (1): 1–307.

[D84] Duplaix, N. 1984. Otters. In: Macdonald, D. (ed.) All the World’s Animals: Carnivores pp. 116–121. Torstar Books Inc.: New York.

[FF06] Finarelli, J. A. & J. J. Flynn. 2006. Ancestral state reconstruction of body size in the Caniformia (Carnivora, Mammalia): the effects of incorporating data from the fossil record. Systematic Biology 55 (2): 301–313.

Flynn, J. J., N. A. Neff & R. H. Tedford. 1988. Phylogeny of the Carnivora. In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Phylogeny and Classification of the Tetrapods vol. 2. Mammals pp. 73–116. Clarendon Press: Oxford.

[G69] Goodwin, G. G. 1969. Mammals from the State of Oaxaca, Mexico, in the American Museum of Natural History. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 141 (1): 1–269, 40 pls.

[H84] Harris, S. 1984. Badgers. In: Macdonald, D. (ed.) All the World’s Animals: Carnivores pp. 122–125. Torstar Books Inc.: New York.

[IT07] Isaac, N. J. B., S. T. Turvey, B. Collen, C. Waterman & J. E. M. Baillie. 2007. Mammals on the EDGE: conservation priorities based on threat and phylogeny. PloS One 2 (3): e296.

[I92] Iwahashi, J. (ed.) 1992. Reddo Deeta Animaruzu: a pictorial of Japanese fauna facing extinction. JICC: Tokyo.

[K84a] King, C. M. 1984a. The weasel family. In: Macdonald, D. (ed.) All the World’s Animals: Carnivores pp. 100–101. Torstar Books Inc.: New York.

[K84b] King, C. M. 1984b. Weasels and polecats. In: Macdonald, D. (ed.) All the World’s Animals: Carnivores pp. 102–107. Torstar Books Inc.: New York.

[M76] Masui, M. 1976. Nihon no Doobutsu. Kogakukan: Tokyo.

[MB86] Matson, J. O., & R. H. Baker. 1986. Mammals of Zacatecas. Special Publications, Museum of Texas Tech University 24: 1–88.

[OS00] Özkurt, Ş., M. Sözen, N. Yiğit, E. Çolak & R. Verimli. 2000. On colouration and karyology of the marbled polecat, Vormela peregusna, in Turkey. Zoology in the Middle East 21: 13–18.

[P84] Powell, R. A. 1984. Martens. In: Macdonald, D. (ed.) All the World’s Animals: Carnivores pp. 110–111. Torstar Books Inc.: New York.

[S78] Savage, R. J. G. 1978. Carnivora. In: Maglio, V. J., & H. B. S. Cooke (eds) Evolution of African Mammals pp. 249–267. Harvard University Press: Cambridge (Massachusetts).

[T76] Tedford, R. H. 1976. Relationship of pinnipeds to other carnivores (Mammalia). Systematic Zoology 25 (4): 363–374.

[TH03] Tedford, R. H., & C. R. Harington. 2003. An Arctic mammal fauna from the Early Pliocene of North America. Nature 425: 388–390.

[T66] Tristram, H. B. 1866. Report on the mammals of Palestine. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 84–93.

[V91] Valkenburgh, B. van. 1991. Iterative evolution of hypercarnivory in canids (Mammalia: Carnivora): evolutionary interactions among sympatric predators. Paleobiology 17 (4): 340–362.

[WW04] Wallace, S. C., & X. Wang. 2004. Two new carnivores from an unusual late Tertiary forest biota in eastern North America. Nature 431: 556–559.