Molecular systematics of the Asiatic Viverridae (Carnivora) inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence analysis

Cytochrome b sequences of 15 species of Viverridae were used to investigate the systematic relationships of the Asiatic Viverridae and their affinities to African viverrid species. Phylogenetic analyses (maximum parsimony and neighbour-joining) supported the hypothesis of paraphyly of the subfamily Viverrinae, whereas the data suggests the monophyly of the two Viverridae subfamilies endemic to Asia. The Asiatic viverrids do not appear to have a unique origin. Results indicate that the Asiatic linsang is less closely related to the other Asiatic taxa, whereas the African civet ( Civettictis ) groups with the Asiatic civets ( Viverra , Viverricula ). The relationships between the three clades — civets, Paradoxurinae, Hemigalinae — cannot be firmly established, but they appear to be closely related together.