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Mephitis

Mammalia - Carnivora - Mephitidae

Taxonomy
Mephitis was named by Cuvier (1800) [also said to be Geoffroy and Cuvier 1795, but Cuvier 1800 according to Allen 1901]. It is extant.

It was assigned to Mustelina by Gray (1825); to Melinae by Hay (1902); to Mephitinae by Allen (1901), Kurten and Anderson (1980); to Mustelidae by Geoffroy and Cuvier (1795), Carroll (1988); to Mephitidae by Marmi et al. (2004); and to Mephitini by Baskin (1998), Wang et al. (2005).

Synonyms
  • Chincha was named by Lesson (1842). It is extant.

    It was synonymized subjectively with Mephitis by Allen (1901).
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1795Mephitis Geoffroy and Cuvier
1800Mephitis Cuvier
1825Mephitis Gray p. 339
1842Chincha Lesson
1901Mephitis Allen p. 332
1902Mephitis Hay p. 766
1980Mephitis Kurten and Anderson p. 164
1988Mephitis Carroll
1998Mephitis Baskin p. 160
2004Mephitis Marmi et al. p. 491
2005Mephitis Wang et al. p. 937

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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
genusMephitisCuvier 1800

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. Mephitis Cuvier 1800
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Mephitis macroura Lichtenstein 1832
Mephitis mephitis Schreber 1776 [striped skunk]
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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]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
partNmean

Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: terrestrialsubc
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: ground dwellingg
Diet: carnivoreo
Diet 2: omnivoreo
Reproduction: viviparoussubc
Created: 2011-04-25 12:09:27
Modified: 2011-04-24 21:09:27
Source: g = genus, o = order, subc = subclass, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Ji et al. 2002, Hendy et al. 2009, Nowak 1999, Carroll 1988, Lillegraven 1979, Gebo and Rose 1993

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Pleistocene to the top of the Holocene or 2.58800 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 1.8 Ma

Collections (54 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Blancan4.9 - 1.8USA (Nebraska) M. sp. (19955)
Blancan4.9 - 1.8USA (Kansas) M. rexroadensis (19931)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117USA (Pennsylvania) M. sp. (125952)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117USA (Tennessee) M. mephitis (74246)
Calabrian1.8 - 0.774USA (Virginia) M. sp. (104698)
Irvingtonian1.8 - 0.3USA (California) M. sp. (20178)
Irvingtonian1.8 - 0.3USA (Arkansas) M. mesomelas (20290)
Irvingtonian1.8 - 0.3USA (Colorado) M. mephitis (20329 20477)
Irvingtonian1.8 - 0.3USA (Florida) M. mephitis (20289)
Irvingtonian1.8 - 0.3USA (New Mexico) M. mephitis (20514)
Irvingtonian1.8 - 0.3USA (Maryland) M. mephitis (20302)
Irvingtonian1.8 - 0.3USA (Pennsylvania) M. mephitis (20354)
Irvingtonian1.8 - 0.3USA (Nebraska) M. mephitis (20143)
Irvingtonian1.8 - 0.3USA (Texas) M. mephitis (20318)
Irvingtonian1.8 - 0.3USA (Kansas) M. mephitis (20168 20390)
Irvingtonian - Rancholabrean1.8 - 0.012USA (California) M. sp. (20323)
Rancholabrean0.3 - 0.012USA (California) M. mephitis (152007)
Rancholabrean0.3 - 0.012USA (Florida) M. mephitis (20491)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (West Virginia) M. mephitis (124198)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (California) M. mephitis (225801) M. occidentalis (93250 155409) M. sp. (79630)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (Florida) M. mephitis (20638 74292 154805)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (late glacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (Florida) M. mephitis (154722)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (interglacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (Florida) M. mephitis (20594 20595)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (interglacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (Indiana) M. mephitis (20600)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (glacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (Florida) M. elongata (154771)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (high glacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (New Mexico) M. mephitis (76060)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (glacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (California) M. occidentalis (155393)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (high glacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (Texas) M. mephitis (93103)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (Texas) M. mephitis (93527) M. sp. (79632)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Mexico (Nuevo Leon) M. macroura (71345)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (Virginia) M. mephitis (82258 103991)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (New Mexico) M. mephitis (93141)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (Georgia) M. mephitis (13066)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene0.129 - 0.0USA (Tennessee) M. mephitis (63429)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene (late glacial)0.129 - 0.0USA (Arizona) M. macroura (93374)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene0.129 - 0.0USA (Virginia) M. mephitis (104682 104684)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene (late glacial)0.129 - 0.0USA (Nevada) M. mephitis (93291)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene0.129 - 0.0USA (Missouri) M. mephitis (63563 63565 63569)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0USA (Massachusetts) M. mephitica (176525)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Canada (Ontario) M. mephitis (221863)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0USA (Virginia) M. mephitis (104675)