Genetta genetta (Linnaeus, 1758)

W. Christopher Wozencraft, 1993, Order Carnivora, Mammal Species of the World (2 nd Edition), Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 279-348 : 345

Genetta genetta (Linnaeus, 1758) . Syst. Nat., 10th ed., 1:45.

TYPE LOCALITY: "oriente juxta rivos", restricted by Linnaeus (1766) to "oriente juxta rivos, Hispania", later listed by Thomas (1911a) as " Spain ". Cabrera (1914), synonymizing G. peninsulas, further restricted the type locality to "El Pardo, cerca de Madrid " [ Spain, El Pardo, near Madrid (40°32'N, 3°46'W)] .

DISTRIBUTION: Algeria, Angola, Arabia, Belgium, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Holland, Kenya, Lybia, Liberia, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Orange Free State, Portugal, Senegal, Spain, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

STATUS: IUCN - Rare as G. g. isabelae.

SYNONYMS: afra F. G. Cuvier, 1825; albipes Trouessart, 1904; balearica Thomas, 1902; barbar Matschie, 1902; barbara Hamilton-Smith, 1842 ; bella Matschie, 1902 ; bonapartei Loche, 1857; communis Burnett, 1830 ; dongolana Hemprich and Ehrenberg, 1833 ; felina Thunberg, 1811 ; gallica Oken, 1816; grantii Thomas, 1902; guardafuensis Neumann, 1902; hararensis Neumann, 1902; hispanica Oken, 1816; leptura Reichenbach, 1836; ludia Thomas and Schwann, 1906; macrura Jentink, 1892; mêlas de la Paz Graells, 1897; neumanni Matschie, 1902; peninsulas Cabrera, 1905; pulchra Matschie, 1902 ; rhodanica Matschie, 1902; senegalensis Fischer, 1829 ; tedescoi de Beaux, 1924; terraesanctae Neumann, 1902; vulgaris Lesson, 1827 .

COMMENTS: Subgenus Genetta . Schlawe (1981) included afra, bonapartei, barbar, barbara , balearica, lusitanica, mêlas, peninsulae , pyrenaica, terraesanctae, rhodanica, and isabelae; and provisionally separated into G. felina the following: guardafuensis, hararensis, leptura, senegalensis , dongolana , granii, neumanni, bella , pulchra , and ludia, which are included here, following Crawford-Cabral (1966, 1969; 1981), Coetzee (19776), Smithers (1983), and Wozencraft (1984, 1989b). Rosevear (1974) separated senegalensis from genetta ; however, this was not followed by Coetzee (1977b), Kingdon (1977), Ansell (1978), Crawford-Cabral (1981), or Wozencraft (1989b). Wozencraft (1984) recognized four allopatric populations: genetta (Meditrerrean) , dongolana (East African) , felina (South African) , and senegalensis (West African) .