Ferret-badger

Ferret-badger
Chinese ferret-badger (Melogale moschata) at Prague Zoo
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Subfamily: Helictidinae
J.E.Gray, 1865
Genus: Melogale
I. Saint-Hilaire, 1831
Type species
Melogale personata
Species
Melogale distribution

Ferret-badgers are the six species of the genus Melogale, which is the only genus of the monotypic mustelid subfamily Helictidinae.

Description and etymology

The genus was described in 1931 by Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (as Mélogale) with Melogale personata as its sole member. Sainte-Hilaire chose the genus name, which he translated to "belette blaireau" ("badger weasel") after the animal's resemblance to those other mustelids. He described M. personata as having a weasel-like shape but likened its head, claws, hair, and coloration to those of a badger (genus Meles). Sainte-Hilaire described M. personata as belonging to a distinct genus on the basis of its long, cone-shaped head.

Human impact

The ferret-badger's impact on humans is through the spread of rabies. This has been documented in Taiwan and China but lack of prior documentation and research on ferret-badgers has proven a roadblock.

Genus Melogale – I. Saint-Hilaire, 1831 – five species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Bornean ferret-badger M. everetti
(Thomas, 1895)		 Small parts of Borneo
Map of range		 Size: 33–44 cm (13–17 in) long, plus 15–23 cm (6–9 in) tail

Habitat: Forest and shrubland

Diet: Primarily eats invertebrates, amphibians, insects, fruit, and carrion		  EN 

Unknown Population declining
Burmese ferret-badger

Mounted brown mustelid with green background

 M. personata
I. Saint-Hilaire, 1831

Five subspecies
  • M. p. laotum
  • M. p. nipalensis
  • M. p. personata
  • M. p. pierrei
  • M. p. tonquinia
Southeast Asia
Map of range		 Size: 33–44 cm (13–17 in) long, plus 15–23 cm (6–9 in) tail

Habitat: Grassland, shrubland, and forest

Diet: Primarily eats insects and snails, as well as small mammals, frogs, lizards, carrion, birds, eggs, and fruit		  LC 

Unknown Unknown
Chinese ferret-badger

Brown and gray mustelids

 M. moschata
(Gray, 1831)

Seven subspecies
  • M. m. ferreogrisea
  • M. m. hainanensis
  • M. m. millsi
  • M. m. moschata
  • M. m. sorella
  • M. m. subaurantiaca
  • M. m. taxilla
East Asia
Map of range		 Size: 30–43 cm (12–17 in) long, plus 15–21 cm (6–8 in) tail

Habitat: Forest, shrubland, and grassland

Diet: Primarily eats insects, frogs, and carrion		  LC 

Unknown Population steady
Javan ferret-badger

Black and white mustelid

 M. orientalis
(Blanford, 1888)

Two subspecies
  • M. o. orientalis
  • M. o. sundaicus
Parts of Java and Bali
Map of range		 Size: 35–40 cm (14–16 in) long, plus 14–17 cm (6–7 in) tail

Habitat: Shrubland and forest

Diet: Primarily eats invertebrates and insects		  LC 

Unknown Unknown
Vietnam ferret-badger M. cucphuongensis
T. Nadler, 2011		 Vietnam
Map of range		 Size: Unknown

Habitat: Forest

Diet: Unknown		  DD 

Unknown Unknown


References

  1. ↑ Gray, J.E. (1865). "Revision of the genera and species of Mustelidae contained in the British Museum". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 33: 100–154. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1865.tb02315.x.
  2. ↑ Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 612–613. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  3. ↑ Koepfli, K.-P.; Deere, K.A.; Slater, G.J.; Begg, C.; Begg, K.; Grassman, L.; Lucherini, M.; Veron, G.; Wayne, R.K. (February 2008). "Multigene phylogeny of the Mustelidae: Resolving relationships, tempo and biogeographic history of a mammalian adaptive radiation". BMC Biology. 6: 10. doi:10.1186/1741-7007-6-10. PMC 2276185. PMID 18275614.
  4. ↑ Yu, L.; Peng, D.; Liu, J.; Luan, P.; Liang, L.; Lee, H.; Lee, M.; Ryder, O.A.; Zhang, Y. (2011). "On the phylogeny of Mustelidae subfamilies: analysis of seventeen nuclear non-coding loci and mitochondrial complete genomes". BMC Evol Biol. 11 (1): 92. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-11-92. PMC 3088541. PMID 21477367.
  5. ↑ Nascimento, F. O. do (2014). "On the correct name for some subfamilies of Mustelidae (Mammalia, Carnivora)". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia. 54 (21): 307–313. doi:10.1590/0031-1049.2014.54.21.
  6. ↑ Law, C. J.; Slater, G. J.; Mehta, R. S. (2018-01-01). "Lineage Diversity and Size Disparity in Musteloidea: Testing Patterns of Adaptive Radiation Using Molecular and Fossil-Based Methods". Systematic Biology. 67 (1): 127–144. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syx047. PMID 28472434.
  7. ↑ Nadler, T.; Streicher, U.; Stefen, C.; Schwierz, E.; Roos, C. (2011). "A new species of ferret-badger, Genus Melogale, from Vietnam". Der Zoologische Garten. 80 (5): 271–286. doi:10.1016/j.zoolgart.2011.08.004.
  8. ↑ Bélanger, Charles (1834). "Zoologie Section IV. Carnassiers". In Bertrand, Arthus (ed.). Voyage aux Indes-orientales, par le nord de l'Europe (in French). A. Bertrand.
  9. ↑ Tu, Wen-Jane (2020). "A study of the temporal dynamics and human exposure to the Formosan ferret-badger (Melogale moschata subaurantiaca) rabies, 2013 to 2019, Taiwan". The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine. 50 (4): 543–548.
  10. ↑ Shoufeng, Zhang (2010). "Characterization of a rabies virus isolate from a ferret badger (Melogale moschata) with unique molecular differences in glycoprotein antigenic site III". Virus Research. 149 (2): 143–151.
  11. ↑ Shoufeng, Zhang. "Rabies in Ferret Badgers, Southeastern China". Emerging Infectious Diseases. 15 (6): 946–949.
  12. 1 2 Edmison, Nicole (2003). "Melogale everetti". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  13. 1 2 3 Wilting, A.; Duckworth, J. W.; Hearn, A.; Ross, J. (2015). "Melogale everetti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015 e.T13110A45199541. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T13110A45199541.en.
  14. 1 2 Clarke, Rosie (2003). "Melogale personata". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  15. 1 2 3 Duckworth, J. W.; Long, B.; Willcox, D. H. A.; Coudrat, C. N. Z.; Timmins, R. J.; Abramov, A. V.; Chan, B.; Chutipong, W. (2016). "Melogale personata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T41627A45209826. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41627A45209826.en.
  16. ↑ Smith, Andrew T.; Xie, Yan, eds. (2010). A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press. p. 441. ISBN 978-1-4008-3411-2.
  17. 1 2 3 Duckworth, J. W.; Abramov, A. V.; Willcox, D. H. A.; Timmins, R. J.; Choudhury, A.; Roberton, S.; Long, B.; Lau, M. (2016). "Melogale moschata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T41626A45209676. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41626A45209676.en.
  18. 1 2 Denryter, Kristin (2013). "Melogale orientalis". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  19. 1 2 3 Duckworth, J. W.; Shepherd, C.; Rode-Margono, E. J.; Wilianto, E.; Spaan, D.; Abramov, A. V. (2016). "Melogale orientalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T41697A45218557. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41697A45218557.en.
  20. 1 2 3 Helgen, K.; Long, B. (2016). "Melogale cucphuongensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T68369199A68369432. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T68369199A68369432.en.