Editing Mustelidae (section)

== Evolution and systematics ==
Mustelidae is a subfamily in [[Musteloidea|Musteloidia]], a superfamily of mammals that is united by shared skull and teeth characteristics. Mustelids are believed to have separated from their next closest related family, Procyonidae, around 29 million years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Yonezawa |first1=Takahiro |last2=Nikaido |first2=Masato |last3=Kohno |first3=Naoki |last4=Fukumoto |first4=Yukio |last5=Okada |first5=Norihiro |last6=Hasegawa |first6=Masami |date=2007-07-01 |title=Molecular phylogenetic study on the origin and evolution of Mustelidae |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0378111907000285 |journal=Gene |volume=396 |issue=1 |pages=1–12 |doi=10.1016/j.gene.2006.12.040 |pmid=17449200 |issn=0378-1119}}</ref> The oldest known mustelid from North America is ''[[Corumictis]] wolsani'' from the early and late Oligocene (early and late [[Arikareean]], Ar1–Ar3) of [[Oregon]].<ref name=Paterson2020 /> Middle Oligocene ''Mustelictis'' from Europe might be a mustelid, as well.<ref name=Paterson2020 /> Other early fossils of the mustelids were dated at the end of the Oligocene to the beginning of the Miocene. Which of these forms are Mustelidae ancestors and which should be considered the first mustelids is unclear.<ref name="Wund2005">{{cite web |url= https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Mustelidae/ |title= Mustelidae|last= Wund|first= M.|date= 2005|website= [[Animal Diversity Web]]|publisher= University of Michigan|access-date= 2020-08-14}}</ref>

The fossil record indicates that mustelids appeared in the late Oligocene period (33&nbsp;Mya) in Eurasia and migrated to every continent except Antarctica and Australia (all the continents that were connected during or since the early Miocene). They reached the Americas via the [[Bering land bridge]].

{{Main|List of mustelids}}

The 68 recent mustelids (66 extant species) are classified into eight subfamilies in 22 genera:<ref name="Law-2018" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore the Database|url=https://www.mammaldiversity.org/explore.html|access-date=2021-06-25|website=www.mammaldiversity.org}}</ref>

{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}'''Subfamily [[Taxidiinae]]'''
* Genus ''[[Taxidea]]''
** [[American badger]], ''T. taxus''

'''Subfamily [[Mellivorinae]]'''
* Genus ''[[Mellivora]]''
** [[Honey badger]], ''M. capensis''

'''Subfamily [[Melinae]]'''
* Genus ''[[Arctonyx]]''
** [[Northern hog badger]], ''A. albogularis''
** [[Greater hog badger]], ''A. collaris''
** [[Sumatran hog badger]], ''A. hoevenii''
* Genus ''[[Meles (genus)|Meles]]''
** [[Japanese badger]], ''M. anakuma''
** [[Asian badger]], ''M. leucurus''
** [[European badger]], ''M. meles''
** [[Caucasian badger]], ''M. canescens''

'''Subfamily [[Helictidinae]]'''
* Genus ''[[Melogale]]''
** [[Vietnam ferret-badger]], ''M. cucphuongensis''
** [[Bornean ferret-badger]], ''M. everetti''
** [[Chinese ferret-badger]], ''M. moschata''
** [[Javan ferret-badger]], ''M. orientalis''
** [[Burmese ferret-badger]], ''M. personata''
** [[Formosan ferret-badger]], ''M. subaurantiaca''

'''Subfamily [[Guloninae]]'''<ref name="Nascimento2014">{{cite journal|last1= Nascimento|first1=F. O. do|title=On the correct name for some subfamilies of Mustelidae (Mammalia, Carnivora)|journal= Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia|volume= 54|issue= 21|year= 2014|pages= 307–313|doi= 10.1590/0031-1049.2014.54.21|doi-access= free}}</ref>
* Genus ''[[Tayra|Eira]]''
** [[Tayra]], ''E. barbara''
* Genus ''[[Gulo]]''
** [[Wolverine]], ''G. gulo''
* Genus ''[[Martes]]''
** [[American marten]], ''M. americana''
** [[Pacific marten]], ''M. caurina''
** [[Yellow-throated marten]], ''M. flavigula''
** [[Beech marten]], ''M. foina''
** [[Nilgiri marten]], ''M. gwatkinsii''
** [[European pine marten]], ''M. martes''
** [[Japanese marten]], ''M. melampus''
** [[Sable]], ''M. zibellina''
* Genus ''[[Pekania]]''
** [[Fisher (animal)|Fisher]], ''P. pennanti''

'''Subfamily [[Ictonychinae]]'''<ref name="Nascimento2014" />
* Genus ''[[Galictis]]''
** [[Lesser grison]], ''G. cuja''
** [[Greater grison]], ''G. vittata''
* Genus ''[[Ictonyx]]''
** [[Saharan striped polecat]], ''I. libycus''
** [[Striped polecat]], ''I. striatus''
* Genus ''[[Lyncodon]]''
** [[Patagonian weasel]], ''L. patagonicus''
* Genus ''[[Poecilogale]]''
** [[African striped weasel]], ''P. albinucha''
* Genus ''[[Vormela]]''
** [[Marbled polecat]], ''V. peregusna''{{col-2}}

'''Subfamily [[Lutrinae]]''' ([[otter]]s)
* Genus ''[[Aonyx]]''
** [[African clawless otter]], ''A. capensis''
** [[Asian small-clawed otter]], ''A. cinerea''
** [[Congo clawless otter]], ''A. congicus''
* Genus ''[[Enhydra]]''
** [[Sea otter]], ''E. lutris''
* Genus ''[[Lontra]]''
** [[North American river otter]], ''L. canadensis''
** [[Marine otter]], ''L. felina''
** [[Neotropical otter]], ''L. longicaudis''
** [[Southern river otter]], ''L. provocax''
* Genus ''[[Lutra]]''
** [[Eurasian otter]], ''L. lutra''
** [[Hairy-nosed otter]], ''L. sumatrana''
** {{extinct}} [[Japanese otter]]. ''L. nippon''
* Genus ''[[Hydrictis]]''
** [[Spotted-necked otter]], ''H. maculicollis''
* Genus ''[[Lutrogale]]''
** [[Smooth-coated otter]], ''L. perspicillata''
* Genus ''[[Pteronura]]''
** [[Giant otter]], ''P. brasiliensis''

'''Subfamily [[Mustelinae]]''' (weasels, ferrets, and mink)
* Genus ''[[Mustela]]''
** [[Mountain weasel]], ''M. altaica''
** [[Stoat]] (Beringian ermine), ''M. erminea''
** [[Steppe polecat]], ''M. eversmannii''
** [[Domestic ferret]], ''M. furo''
** [[Haida ermine]], ''M. haidarum''
** [[Japanese weasel]], ''M. itatsi''
** [[Yellow-bellied weasel]], ''M. kathiah''
** [[European mink]], ''M. lutreola''
** [[Indonesian mountain weasel]], ''M. lutreolina''
** [[Black-footed ferret]], ''M. nigripes''
** [[Least weasel]], ''M. nivalis''
** [[Malayan weasel]], ''M. nudipes''
** [[European polecat]], ''M. putorius''
** [[American ermine]], ''M. richardsonii''
** [[Siberian weasel]], ''M. sibirica''
** [[Back-striped weasel]], ''M. strigidorsa''
* Genus ''[[Neogale]]''<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Bruce D. |last1=Patterson |first2=Héctor E. |last2=Ramírez-Chaves |first3=Júlio F. |last3=Vilela |first4=André E. R. |last4=Soares |first5=Felix |last5=Grewe 
|title=On the nomenclature of the American clade of weasels (Carnivora: Mustelidae) 
|journal=Journal of Animal Diversity |volume=3 |issue=2 |year=2021 |pages=1–8 |issn=2676-685X |doi=10.52547/JAD.2021.3.2.1  |s2cid=236299740 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
** [[Amazon weasel]], ''N. africana''
** [[Colombian weasel]], ''N. felipei''
** [[Long-tailed weasel]], ''N. frenata''
** [[American mink]], ''N. vison''
** {{extinct}}[[Sea mink]], ''N. macrodon''{{col-end}}

'''Fossil mustelids'''
Extinct genera of the family Mustelidae include:

* ''[[Brachypsalis]]''
* ''[[Chamitataxus]]''
* ''[[Corumictis]]''<ref name=Paterson2020>{{cite journal |last1=Paterson |first1= R.|last2=Samuels |first2= J.X.|last3=Rybczynski |first3= N.|last4= Ryan |first4= M.J.|last5= Maddin|first5= H.C.|year=2019 |title= The earliest mustelid in North America|journal=[[Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society]] |volume= 188|issue= 4|pages= 1318–1339|doi=10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz091}}</ref>
* ''[[Cyrnaonyx]]''
* ''[[Ekorus]]''
* ''[[Enhydriodon]]''
* ''[[Eomellivora]]''
* ''Hoplictis''<ref name=Valenciano2019>{{cite journal |last1= Valenciano |first1= A. |last2= Jiangzuo |first2= Q. |display-authors = etal |date= March 2019 |title= First Record of ''Hoplictis'' (Carnivora, Mustelidae) in East Asia from the Miocene of the Ulungur River Area, Xinjiang, Northwest China |journal= Acta Geologica Sinica |volume= 93 |issue= 2 |pages= 251–264 |doi= 10.1111/1755-6724.13820|bibcode= 2019AcGlS..93..251V |s2cid= 133900941 }}</ref>
* ''[[Megalictis]]''
* ''[[Oligobunis]]''
* ''[[Plesictis]]''
* ''[[Sthenictis]]''
* ''[[Teruelictis]]''
* ''Trochictis''<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Morlo |first1= M. |last2= LeMaitre |first2= A. |display-authors = etal |date= November 2019 |title= First record of the mustelid Trochictis (Carnivora, Mammalia) from the early Late Miocene (MN 9/10) of Germany and a re-appraisal of the genus Trochictis  |journal= Historical Biology |volume= 33 |issue= 8 |pages= 1183–1195 |doi= 10.1080/08912963.2019.1683172 |s2cid= 209607263 }}</ref>

===Phylogeny===
Multigene phylogenies constructed by Koepfli et al. (2008)<ref name="Koepfli2008" /> and Law et al. (2018)<ref name="Law-2018" /> found that Mustelidae comprises eight living subfamilies. The early mustelids appear to have undergone two rapid bursts of diversification in Eurasia, with the resulting species spreading to other continents only later.<ref name="Koepfli2008">{{cite journal | last1 = Koepfli | first1 = Klaus-Peter |title = Multigene phylogeny of the Mustelidae: Resolving relationships, tempo and biogeographic history of a mammalian adaptive radiation | journal = BMC Biology | volume = 6 | page = 10 | date = February 2008 | doi = 10.1186/1741-7007-6-10 | pmid = 18275614 | last2 = Deere | first2 = K.A. | last3 = Slater | first3 = G.J. | last4 = Begg | first4 = C. | last5 = Begg | first5 = K. | last6 = Grassman | first6 = L. | last7 = Lucherini | first7 = M. | last8 = Veron | first8 = G. | last9 = Wayne | first9 = R.K. | pmc = 2276185 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="500">
File:MustelidaePhylogeneticTree (edited).jpg|Phylogenetic tree of Mustelidae. Contains 53 of the 79 putative mustelid species.<ref name="Law-2018" />
File:Mustelidae timetree (edited).jpg|Time-calibrated tree of Mustelidae showing divergence times between lineages. Split times include: 28.8&nbsp;million years ([[megaannum|Ma]]) for mustelids vs. procyonids; 17.8 Ma for Taxidiinae; 15.5 Ma for Mellivorinae; 14.8 Ma for Melinae; 14.0 Ma for Guloninae + Helictidinae; 11.5 Ma for Guloninae + Naquinae vs. Helictidinae; 12.0 Ma for Ictonychinae; 11.6 Ma for Lutrinae vs. Mustelinae.<ref name="Law-2018" /> 
</gallery>

Mustelid species diversity is often attributed to an adaptive radiation coinciding with the [[Middle Miocene disruption|mid-Miocene climate transition]]. Contrary to expectations, Law et al. (2018)<ref name="Law-2018" /> found no evidence for rapid bursts of lineage diversification at the origin of the Mustelidae, and further analyses of lineage diversification rates using molecular and fossil-based methods did not find associations between rates of lineage diversification and mid-Miocene climate transition as previously hypothesized.