Viverroidea is a clade within
Feliformia
Feliformia is a suborder within the order Carnivora consisting of "cat-like" carnivorans, including Felidae, cats (large and small), hyenas, mongooses, viverrids, and related taxa. Feliformia stands in contrast to the other suborder of Carnivora, ...
, containing both the family
Viverridae
Viverridae is a family (biology), family of small to medium-sized feliform mammals, comprising 14 genera with 33 species. This family was named and first described by John Edward Gray in 1821. Viverrids occur all over Africa, in southern Europe, ...
, and the superfamily
Herpestoidea
Herpestoidea is a superfamily of mammalia carnivores which includes mongooses, Malagasy carnivoransWozencraft, 2005, pp. 560–561 and the hyenas.
Herpestoids, with the exception of the hyenas, have a cylindrical and elongated body, which allows ...
.
Classification
* Infraorder Viverroidea
** Family
Viverridae
Viverridae is a family (biology), family of small to medium-sized feliform mammals, comprising 14 genera with 33 species. This family was named and first described by John Edward Gray in 1821. Viverrids occur all over Africa, in southern Europe, ...
(
civet
A civet () is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term ''civet'' applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae. Most of the species's div ...
s and allies)
** Superfamily
Herpestoidea
Herpestoidea is a superfamily of mammalia carnivores which includes mongooses, Malagasy carnivoransWozencraft, 2005, pp. 560–561 and the hyenas.
Herpestoids, with the exception of the hyenas, have a cylindrical and elongated body, which allows ...
*** Family
Eupleridae
Eupleridae is a Family (biology), family of carnivorans endemic to Madagascar and comprising 10 known living species in seven genus, genera, commonly known as euplerids, Malagasy mongooses or Malagasy carnivorans. The best known species is t ...
(Malagasy carnivorans)
*** Family
Herpestidae
A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family has two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to southern Europe, Afri ...
(
mongoose
A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family has two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to southern Europe, A ...
s and allies)
*** Family
Hyaenidae (
hyena
Hyenas or hyaenas ( ; from Ancient Greek , ) are feliform carnivoran mammals belonging to the family Hyaenidae (). With just four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the order Carnivora and one of the sma ...
s and
aardwolf
The aardwolf (''Proteles cristatus'') is an insectivorous hyaenid species, native to East and Southern Africa. Its name means "earth-wolf" in Afrikaans and Dutch. It is also called the maanhaar-jackal (Afrikaans for "mane-jackal"), termite-ea ...
)
*** Family †
Lophocyonidae
Lophocyonidae is an extinct family of feliform carnivorans from the Miocene of Europe.Pilgrim, G. E. (1931). Catalogue of the pontian Carnivora of Europe. British Museum (Natural History): 1174.
Taxonomy Classification
Lophocyonidae was previo ...
*** Family †
Percrocutidae
Percrocutidae is an extinct family of hyena-like feliform carnivorans endemic to Asia, Africa, and Southern Europe from the Middle Miocene through the Pliocene, existing for about .
The first percrocutids are known from the middle Miocene of E ...
Phylogenetic tree
The phylogenetic relationships of Viverroidea are shown in the following cladogram:
References
Mammal infraorders
Mammal taxonomy
Taxa named by John Edward Gray
{{Carnivora-stub