Basic info Taxonomic history Classification Included Taxa
Morphology Ecology and taphonomy External Literature Search Age range and collections

Mellivora (ratel)

Mammalia - Carnivora - Mustelidae

Taxonomy
Mellivora was named by Storr (1780). It is extant. Its type is Viverra capensis.

It was assigned to Gulonina by Gray (1825); to Mustelidae by Carroll (1988), Geraads (1997) and Werdelin and Peigne (2010); to Mellivorinae by Hendey (1974) and Valenciano et al. (2018); and to Mellivorini by Valenciano and Govender (2020).

Species
M. benfieldi, M. capensis, M. indica, M. punjabiensis
Species lacking formal opinion data
M. sivalensis

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1780Mellivora Storr p. 34
1825Mellivora Gray p. 339
1974Mellivora Hendey p. 68
1988Mellivora Carroll
1997Mellivora Geraads p. 153
2010Mellivora Werdelin and Peigne p. 621
2018Mellivora Valenciano et al.
2020Mellivora Valenciano and Govender

Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data

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
—Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
—Theriamorpha(Rowe 1993)
RankNameAuthor
—Theriiformes()
—Trechnotheria
—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
familyMustelidaeFischer 1817
subfamilyMellivorinaeGray 1865
tribeMellivorini
genusMellivoraStorr 1780

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.

G. Mellivora Storr 1780 [ratel]
show all | hide all
†Mellivora benfieldi Hendy 1978
Mellivora capensis Schreber 1776 [honey badger]
Mellivora indica Kerr 1792
†Mellivora punjabiensis Lydekker 1884
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
partNmean

Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: terrestrialsubc
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: semifossorialg
Diet: carnivoreg
Diet 2: omnivoreg
Reproduction: viviparoussubc
Comments: "meat/non-vertebrate group" (Van Valkenburgh 1988) and "scansorial/terrestrial (fossorial)" (Gebo and Rose 1993)g
Created: 2009-01-04 14:19:04
Modified: 2012-05-14 22:02:30
Source: g = genus, subc = subclass, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Lillegraven 1979, Hendy et al. 2009, Ji et al. 2002, Van Valkenburgh 1988, Carroll 1988

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Messinian to the top of the Holocene or 7.24600 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 5.333 Ma

Collections (45 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Miocene - Pliocene23.03 - 2.588South Africa Mellivora capensis (22229)
Tortonian - Zanclean11.62 - 3.6Ethiopia Mellivora benfieldi (22139)
Messinian7.246 - 5.333Italy (Ravenna) Mellivora benfieldi (144566)
Messinian - Piacenzian7.246 - 2.588South Africa (Cape) Mellivora punjabiensis, Mellivora capensis (59167)
Zanclean5.333 - 3.6South Africa Mellivora benfeldi (22221 22222)
Pliocene5.333 - 2.588Tanzania (Eastern Drift Valley) Mellivora capensis (32050)
Late/Upper Pliocene3.6 - 2.588South Africa (Langebaanweg) Mellivora punjabiensis (21713)
Late/Upper Pliocene3.6 - 2.588Morocco Mellivora capensis (32052)
Piacenzian3.6 - 2.588Tanzania Mellivora capensis (21818)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117South Africa Mellivora capensis (21695 21916 21929 21931 21956 115191 115205) Mellivora sivalensis (21825) Mellivora sp. (21920)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117Kenya Mellivora capensis (21963)
Pleistocene - Holocene2.588 - 0.0South Africa Mellivora capensis (21711 21948 21949 21951 21952)
Pleistocene - Holocene2.588 - 0.0Zambia Mellivora capensis (21924)
Pleistocene - Holocene2.588 - 0.0Morocco Mellivora sp. (21856 21857)
Pleistocene - Holocene2.588 - 0.0Swaziland Mellivora capensis (21925)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Morocco Mellivora sp. (34287)
Middle Pleistocene - Late/Upper Pleistocene0.774 - 0.0117Kenya Mellivora capensis (21276 21277)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117South Africa Mellivora capensis (90070 115184)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (interglacial)0.129 - 0.0117South Africa Mellivora capensis (115167)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Kenya (Athi-Kapiti plains) Mellivora capensis (32115 32124)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene0.129 - 0.0South Africa Mellivora capensis (21922)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0South Africa Mellivora capensis (21921 21930)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Tanzania Mellivora capensis (21690)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0South Africa (Orange Free) Mellivora capensis (21911)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Sudan Mellivora capensis (21903 208787)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0South Africa (N. Transraal) Mellivora capensis (21693)