Genetta tigrina (Schreber 1776)

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Carnivora, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 1, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 532-628 : 557

Genetta tigrina (Schreber 1776)

[Viverra] tigrina Schreber 1776 , Die Saugethiere, Vol. 3, 17: pl. 115 [1776]; see also text, 3 (25): 425 [1777].

Type Locality: "von dem Vorgebirge der guten Hofnug" [ South Africa, Western Cape Prov., Cape of Good Hope].

Vernacular Names: Cape Genet.

Subspecies: :

Subspecies Genetta tigrina subsp. tigrina Schreber 1776

Subspecies Genetta tigrina subsp. methi Roberts 1948

Distribution: South Africa.

Conservation: IUCN – Lower Risk (lc).

Discussion: There is great confusion in the taxonomy of the pardina-rubiginosa (= maculata ) tigrina complex. Some authors ( Coetzee, 1977 b; Meester et al., 1986) considered rubiginosa as conspecific with tigrina . Others believed that maculata may be conspecific with pardina ( Ansell, 1978; Crawford-Cabral, 1966 a; Pringle, 1977). Crawford-Cabral (1981 a) later reversed his earlier opinion and considered three types to exist as separate species; (1) pardina , (2) rubiginosa (= maculata ), and (3) tigrina . This was followed by Gaubert (2003) and Gaubert et al. (2003 a, b). Roberts (1951) considered zambesiana , letabae , zuluensis , and albiventris as subspecies of maculata ; whereas he limited tigrina to only two subspecies: tigrina and methi. Subspecies allocated according to Roberts (1951) and Crawford-Cabral and Pacheco (1992).