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Mephitidae (skunk)

Mammalia - Carnivora - Mephitidae

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1845Mephitidae Bonaparte
2004Mephitidae Wang and Qiu
2008Mephitidae Wang and Carranza-Castaneda p. 388
2014Mephitidae Wang et al. p. 292

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
Cotylosauria()
Amniota
subclassSynapsida
Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
Mammaliamorpha
RankNameAuthor
Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
Cladotheria
Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
Eutheria()
Placentalia
Boreoeutheria
Laurasiatheria
Scrotifera
Ferae()
CarnivoramorphaWyss and Flynn 1993
CarnivoraformesFlynn et al.
orderCarnivora
suborderCaniformiaKretzoi 1943
infraorderCanoidea(Simpson 1931)
superfamilyArctoideaFlower 1869
Mustelida
familyMephitidaeBonaparte 1845
familyMephitidaeBonaparte 1845

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Fm. Mephitidae Bonaparte 1845 [skunk]
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G. †Brachyprotoma Brown 1908
+
Brachyprotoma obtusata Cope 1899 [short-faced skunk]
+
Invalid names: Brachyprotoma brevimala Heaton 1985 [synonym], Brachyprotoma pristina Brown 1908 [synonym], Brachyprotoma putorius Hay 1923 [synonym], Brachyprotoma spelaea Brown 1908 [synonym]
G. †Buisnictis Hibbard 1950
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Buisnictis breviramus Hibbard 1941
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Invalid names: Buisnictis meadensis Hibbard 1950 [synonym]
Buisnictis burrowsi Skinner and Hibbard 1972
Buisnictis metabatos Wang et al. 2014
Buisnictis schoffi Hibbard 1954
G. Conepatus Gray 1837 [hog-nosed skunk]
+
Conepatus altiramus Reig 1952
Conepatus chinga Molina 1782 [Molina's hog-nosed skunk]
Conepatus cordubensis Ameghino 1889
Conepatus humboldtii Gray 1837 [Humboldt's hog-nosed skunk]
Conepatus leuconotus Lichtenstein 1832 [eastern hog-nosed skunk]
+
Invalid names: Mephitis mesoleucus Lichtenstein 1832 [synonym]
Conepatus mercedensis Ameghino 1875
Conepatus primaevus Burmeister 1864
Conepatus robustus Martin 1978
Conepatus sanmiguelensis Wang and Carranza-Castaneda 2008
Conepatus semistriatus Boddaert 1785 [striped hog-nosed skunk]
Conepatus suffocans Illiger 1811
Conepatus talarae Churcher and Van Zyll de Jong 1965
Invalid names: Thiosmus Lichtenstein 1838 [synonym]
G. †Martinogale Hall 1930
+
Martinogale alveodens Hall 1930
Martinogale chisoensis Stevens and Stevens 2003
Martinogale faulli Wang et al. 2005
Martinogale nambiana Cope 1874
Subfm. Mephitinae Bonaparte 1845 [skunk]
+
G. †Brachyopsigale Hibbard 1954
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Brachyopsigale dubius Hibbard 1954
G. †Pliogale Hall 1930
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Pliogale furlongi Merriam 1911
Pliogale manka Green 1956
G. Mephitis Cuvier 1800
+
Mephitis macroura Lichtenstein 1832
Mephitis mephitis Schreber 1776 [striped skunk]
+
Invalid names: Mephitis frontata Coues 1875 [synonym], Mephitis mesomelas Lichtenstein 1832 [synonym], Mephitis occidentalis Baird 1858 [synonym], Mephitis putida Cuvier 1798 [synonym], Viverra mephitica Shaw 1792 [synonym], Viverra nigra Peale and Palisot de Beauvois 1786 [synonym]
Mephitis orthrostica Cope 1896
Mephitis rexroadensis Hibbard 1952
Invalid names: Chincha Lesson 1842 [synonym]
G. †Miomephitis Dehm 1950
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Miomephitis pilgrimi Dehm 1950
G. Mydaus Cuvier 1821
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Mydaus javanensis Desmarest 1820 [Sunda stink badger]
Mydaus marchei Huet 1887 [Palawan stink badger]
G. †Osmotherium Cope 1896
+
Osmotherium spelaeum Cope 1896
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Invalid names: Mephitis fodiens Hall 1936 [synonym], Mephitis fossidens Cope 1896 [synonym], Mephitis leptops Cope 1899 [synonym], Mephitis orthostichus Cope 1896 [synonym], Pelycictis lobulatus Cope 1896 [synonym]
G. †Palaeomephitis Jager 1839
+
G. †Promephitis Gaudry 1861
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Promephitis alexejewi Schlosser 1924
Promephitis brevirostris Meladze 1967
Promephitis hootoni Senyurek 1954
Promephitis larteti Gaudry 1861
Promephitis maeotica Alexejew 1916
Promephitis majori Pilgrim 1933
Promephitis malustenensis Simionescu 1930
Promephitis maxima He and Huang 1991
Promephitis parvus Wang and Qiu 2004
Promephitis pristinidens Petter 1963
Promephitis qinensis Wang and Qiu 2004
G. Spilogale Gray 1865
+
Spilogale angustifrons Howell 1902 [southern spotted skunk]
Spilogale gracilis Merriam 1890 [western spotted skunk]
Spilogale interrupta Rafinesque 1820 [prairie spotted skunk]
Spilogale leucoparia Merriam 1890 [desert spotted skunk]
Spilogale microdens Dalquest 1978
Spilogale putorius Linnaeus 1758 [eastern spotted skunk]
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Invalid names: Galera perdicida [synonym], Mephitis quaterlinearis Winans 1859 [synonym], Spilogale ambarvalis Bangs 1898 [synonym], Spilogale indianola Merriam 1890 [synonym], Spilogale marylandensis Gidley and Gazin 1933 [synonym], Spilogale pedroensis Gazin 1942 [synonym]
Spilogale pygmaea Thomas 1898
Spilogale rexroadi Hibbard 1941
Spilogale yucatanensis Burt 1938 [Yucatán spotted skunk]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: terrestrialsubc
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: ground dwellingo
Diet: carnivoreo
Diet 2: omnivoreo
Reproduction: viviparoussubc
Created: 2005-08-26 13:31:06
Modified: 2005-08-26 15:31:06
Source: o = order, subc = subclass, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Hendy et al. 2009, Lillegraven 1979, Nowak 1999, Ji et al. 2002, Carroll 1988

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the MN 3 to the top of the Holocene or 20.00000 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 16.9 Ma

Collections (176 total)

Oldest occurrences

Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
MN 320.0 - 16.9Germany (Bavaria) Miomephitis pilgrimi (68040)
Barstovian16.3 - 12.5USA (Nebraska) Pliogale sp. (18275 18442)
Clarendonian12.5 - 9.4USA (Oklahoma) Mephitinae indet. (18130)
Clarendonian12.5 - 9.4USA (California) Martinogale sp. (19322 19323)
Clarendonian12.5 - 9.4USA (Nebraska) Pliogale manka (18483)
Tortonian11.62 - 7.246Ukraine Promephitis maeotica (75800)
Vallesian11.608 - 8.7Spain (Segovia) Mephitinae indet. (40768)
Late/Upper Miocene11.608 - 5.333Greece (Aegean) Promephitis larteti (202120)
Late/Upper Miocene11.608 - 5.333Greece (Attica) Promephitis lartetii (182754)
Late/Upper Miocene11.608 - 5.333China (Gansu) Promephitis parvus (236747)
Late/Upper Miocene11.608 - 5.333Greece (Thessaly) Promephitis lartetii (194879)
Hemphillian10.3 - 4.9USA (Kansas) Martinogale alveodens (18140)
Hemphillian10.3 - 4.9Mexico (Jalisco) Conepatus sanmiguelensis (18745 189790)
Hemphillian10.3 - 4.9USA (Nebraska) Mephitinae indet. (18201)
Hemphillian10.3 - 4.9USA (California) Martinogale faulli (163573)
Hemphillian10.3 - 4.9Mexico (Guanajuato) Conepatus sanmiguelensis (18718)
Hemphillian10.3 - 4.9USA (Nevada) Pliogale furlongi (19095)
Late/Upper Hemphillian10.3 - 4.9USA (Nebraska) Brachyopsigale dubius, Buisnictis schoffi, Martinogale alveodens (18126 18359) Martinogale alveodens, Pliogale furlongi (35430)
Late/Upper Hemphillian10.3 - 4.9USA (Texas) Mephitinae indet. (18093)
Late/Upper Hemphillian10.3 - 4.9USA (Arizona) Pliogale furlongi (19612)