African tree pangolin (''Phataginus'') is a genus of African

pangolin Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota (). The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: '' Manis'', '' Phataginus'', and '' Smutsia''. ''Manis'' comprises four species found in Asia, while ' ...

s from subfamily small African pangolins (Phatagininae), within family

Manidae Manidae (" spirits") is the only extant family of pangolins. This family comprises three genera ('' Manis'' from subfamily Maninae, '' Phataginus'' from subfamily Phatagininae, and '' Smutsia'' from subfamily Smutsiinae), as well as the extinct ...

. Its members are the more

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally (scansorial), but others are exclusively arboreal. The hab ...

of the African pangolins. From 2010 to 2019, at least 895,000 pangolins from the genus ''Phataginus'' were illegally trafficked. The animal is hunted and poached for its scales and meat, and is often used in making traditional medicine in places such as

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. Attempts to protect these mammals from trafficking and extinction are ongoing; unfortunately their slow reproduction rate stymies population recovery. Currently the tree pangolin is listed as vulnerable. All pangolin species have been listed as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered.

Etymology

Constantine Rafinesque (1821) formed the Neo-Latin generic name ''Phataginus'' from the French term ''phatagin'', adopted by Count Buffon (1763) after the reported local name ''phatagin'' or ''phatagen'' used in the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...

Taxonomy

* Subfamily: Phatagininae (small African pangolins) ** Genus: ''Phataginus'' (African tree pangolin) *** '' Phataginus tetradactyla'' (Long-tailed pangolin) *** ''

Phataginus tricuspis The white-bellied pangolin (''Phataginus tricuspis'') is one of eight extant species of pangolins ("scaly anteaters"), and is native to equatorial Africa. Also known as the tree pangolin or three-cusped pangolin, it is the most common of the Afr ...

'' (Tree pangolin)

Phylogeny

Phylogenetic position of genus ''Phataginus'' within family Manidae.

References

Mammal genera Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque {{mammal-stub