Asiatic linsang

genus of mammals

The Asiatic linsang (Prionodon) is a genus with two species, the banded linsang (Prionodon linsang) and the spotted linsang (Prionodon pardicolor).[1] They are native to southeast Asia:

Asiatic linsang
Temporal range: Middle Miocene–Present
Spotted linsang (Prionodon pardicolor)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain:Eukaryota
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Carnivora
Family:Prionodontidae
Horsfield, 1822
Subfamily:Prionodontinae
Gray, 1864
Genus:Prionodon
Horsfield, 1822
Species
  • Prionodon linsang
  • Prionodon pardicolor

DNA analysis on 29 species showed that Prionodon was the sister-group of the family Felidae. So the Asiatic linsangs are put in a family of their own, the Prionodontidae.[2] Prionodon is not closely related to the African linsangs, although they look similar, and live a similar life. They are small cat-like carnivores adapted to catching small prey among the trees of a tropical forest. The similarities between the two groups came about by convergent evolution.

Prionodon is basal to the Feliformia and a sister taxon of the Felidae.[3]

References