Editing Mephitidae

{{short description|Family of mammals}}
{{EngvarB|date = June 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Mephitidae
| fossil_range = {{Geological range|Middle Miocene|Holocene|[[Middle Miocene]] to present}}
| image = Mephitidae.jpg
| image_caption = [[Molina's hog-nosed skunk]] (''Conepatus chinga''), [[striped skunk]] (''Mephitis mephitis''), [[Sunda stink badger]] (''Mydaus javanensis'') and [[western spotted skunk]] (''Spilogale gracilis'')
| taxon = Mephitidae
| authority = [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1845
| type_genus = ''[[Mephitis (genus)|Mephitis]]''
| type_genus_authority = [[Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire|Geoffroy]] and [[Georges Cuvier|Cuvier]], 1795
| subdivision_ranks = [[Genus|Genera]]
| subdivision = ''[[Conepatus]]''<br>
''[[Mydaus]]''<br>
''[[Mephitis (genus)|Mephitis]]''<br>
''[[Spilogale]]''<br>
''†[[Brachyprotoma]]''<br>
''†[[Palaeomephitis]]''<br>
''†[[Promephitis]]''
| range_map = skunk genera ranges.png
| range_map_caption = Mephitidae range
}}
'''Mephitidae''' is a family of [[mammal]]s comprising the [[skunk]]s and [[stink badger]]s. They are noted for the great development of their anal [[scent gland]]s, which they use to deter predators. Skunks were formerly classified as a subfamily of the [[Mustelidae]] (the weasel family); however, in the 1990s, [[Genetics|genetic]] evidence caused skunks to be treated as a separate family.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dragoo.org/carnivore.shtml|publisher=Dragoo Institute for the Betterment of Skunks and Skunk Reputations|title=Wild Skunk Information|date=7 March 2013|access-date=12 November 2017}}</ref> Similarly, the stink badgers had been classified with badgers, but genetic evidence shows they share a more recent common ancestor with skunks, so they are now included in the skunk family. A 2017 study using [[retroposon]] markers indicated that they are most closely related to the [[Ailuridae]] ([[red pandas]] and allies) and [[Procyonidae]] ([[raccoons]] and allies){{Citation needed|reason=What is this 2017 study? No link provided|date=August 2021}}.

There are twelve extant species of mephitids in four [[genera]]: ''[[Conepatus]]'' ([[hog-nosed skunk]]s, four species); ''[[Mephitis (genus)|Mephitis]]'' (the [[hooded skunk|hooded]] and [[striped skunk]]s, two species); ''[[Mydaus]]'' (stink badgers, two species); and ''[[Spilogale]]'' ([[spotted skunk]]s, four species). The two stink badgers in the genus ''Mydaus'' inhabit [[Indonesia]], [[Brunei]], [[Malaysia]] and the [[Philippines]]; the other members of the family inhabit the Americas, ranging from [[Canada]] to central South America. All other mephitids are extinct, known through fossils, including those from [[Eurasia]].<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Xiaoming Wang |author2=Zhanxiang Qiu |title=Late Miocene ''Promephitis'' (Carnivora, Mephitidae) from China.|journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology|volume=24|date=2004|issue=3 |pages=721–731|doi=10.1671/0272-4634(2004)024[0721:LMPCMF]2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=21714530 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal  |vauthors=Koepfli KP, Deere KA, Slater GJ, etal |title=Multigene phylogeny of the Mustelidae: Resolving relationships, tempo and biogeographic history of a mammalian adaptive radiation |journal=BMC Biol. |volume=6 |pages=4–5 |year=2008 |pmid=18275614 |doi=10.1186/1741-7007-6-10 |pmc=2276185 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>[https://www.departments.bucknell.edu/biology/resources/msw3/browse.asp?id=14001521 Mammal Species of the World&nbsp;– Browse: Mephitidae] . Bucknell.edu. Retrieved on April 5, 2012.</ref> 

In taxonomic order, the living species of Mephitidae are:<ref>{{MSW3|id=14001521}}</ref>

==Genera==
{{main|List of mephitids}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Image !! Genus   !! Living Species
|-
|[[File:Mydaus javanensis.jpg|175px]]||'''''[[Mydaus]]''''' {{small|Cuvier, 1821}}||
* ''Mydaus javanensis''&nbsp;– Indonesian or [[Sunda stink badger]] (Teledu)
* ''Mydaus marchei''&nbsp;– [[Palawan stink badger]]
|-
|[[File:Zorrillo.jpg|175px]]||'''''[[Conepatus]]''''' {{small|Gray, 1837}}|| 
* ''Conepatus chinga''&nbsp;– [[Molina's hog-nosed skunk]]
* ''Conepatus humboldtii''&nbsp;– [[Humboldt's hog-nosed skunk]]
* ''Conepatus leuconotus''&nbsp;– [[American hog-nosed skunk]]
* ''Conepatus semistriatus''&nbsp;– [[striped hog-nosed skunk]]
|-
|[[File:Spilogale gracilis amphiala.jpg|175px]]||'''''[[Spilogale]]''''' {{small|Gray, 1865}}||
* ''Spilogale angustifrons''&nbsp;– [[southern spotted skunk]]
* ''Spilogale gracilis''&nbsp;– [[western spotted skunk]]
* ''Spilogale putorius''&nbsp;– [[eastern spotted skunk]]
* ''Spilogale pygmaea''&nbsp;– [[pygmy spotted skunk]]
|-
|[[File:Striped Skunk (cropped).jpg|175px]]||'''''[[Mephitis (genus)|Mephitis]]''''' {{small|É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire and Cuvier, 1795}}|| 
* ''Mephitis macroura''&nbsp;– [[hooded skunk]]
* ''Mephitis mephitis''&nbsp;– [[striped skunk]]
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Carnivora|C.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q83244}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mephitidae| ]]
[[Category:Mammal families]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte]]