G. Veron et S. Heard, Molecular systematics of the Asiatic Viverridae (Carnivora) inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence analysis, J ZOOL SYST, 38(4), 2000, pp. 209-217
Citations number
82
Categorie Soggetti
Animal Sciences
Journal title
JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGICAL SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTIONARY RESEARCH
Cytochrome b sequences of 15 species of Viverridae were used to investigate
the systematic relationships of the Asiatic Viverridae and their affinitie
s to African viverrid species. Phylogenetic analyses (maximum parsimony and
neighbour-joining) supported the hypothesis of paraphyly of the subfamily
Viverrinae, whereas the data suggests the monophyly of the two Viverridae s
ubfamilies endemic to Asia. The Asiatic viverrids do not appear to have a u
nique origin. Results indicate that the Asiatic linsang is less closely rel
ated to the other Asiatic taxa, whereas the African civet (Civettictis) gro
ups with the Asiatic civets (Viverra, Viverricula). The relationships betwe
en the three clades - civets, Paradoxurinae, Hemigalinae - cannot be firmly
established, but they appear to be closely related together.