A phylogenetic study showed that the small Indian civet is closely related to the genera Civettictis and Viverra. It was estimated that the Civettictis-Viverraclade diverged from Viverricula around 16.2 Mya. The authors suggested that the subfamily Viverrinae should be bifurcated into Genettinae including Poiana and Genetta, and Viverrinae including Civettictis, Viverra and Viverricula. The following cladogram is based on this study.[5]
The following cladogram shows the phylogenetic relationships for the revised Viverridae, based on the molecular genetics study of Gaubert & Cordeiro-Estrela (2006),[5], with additional species placed according to the supertree study of Nyakatura & Bininda-Emonds (2012).[6] (Nyakatura2012_12915_2011_Article_534_Fig9_HTML.jpg)
The Evolution of Western Eurasian Neogene Mammal Faunas. Edited by Raymond L. Bernor, Volker Fahlbusch, and Hans-Walter Mittmann
24. Carnivores, Exclusive of Hyaenidae, from the Later Miocene of Europe and Western Asia (p271, L. Werdelin)
25. The Evolutionary History of Hyaenas in Europe and Western Asia During the Miocene (p290, L. Werdelin and N. Solounias).
Appendix 25.1: Occurrences of Hyaenas in Europe and Western Eurasia
Hyenas diverged from the stem feliform in the Oligocene and transitioned through six ecomorph groups from civet-like insectivores/omnivores through generalised jackal-like meat and small bone eaters to the fully developed modern bone crushers. This middle phase is well represented by the four hyaenid species that have been described from the South African fossil site of Langebaanweg (LBW) E Quarry (Figure 1): Chasmaporthetes australis, Hyaenictitherium namaquensis, Hyaenictis hendeyi and Ikelohyaena abronia.
New cladogram showing the phylogenetic relationships between the four extant hyaenidae species, based on the genetic analysis of Koepfli et al (2006).[10]
The following cladogram illustrates the phylogenetic relationships between extant and extinct hyaenids based on the morphological analysis by Werdelin & Solounias (1991).[11]
The following cladogram illustrates the phylogenetic relationships between extant and extinct hyaenids based on the morphological analysis by Werdelin & Solounias (1991),[11] as updated by Turner et al (2008).[12]
Phylogenic relationships based on morphological characteristics, after Werdelin & Solounias (1991) and Turner et al (2008).
A more recent molecular analysis gives a slightly different phylogenetic relationship between the four extant hyaenidae species (Koepfli et al, 2006[10]).
Phylogeny of Machairodontines with the three out-groups, Proailurus, Pseudaelurus, and all modern, conical-toothed cats, with a brief description of each genus:[13][14][15][16]
FELIDAE
†Proailurus 25 mya; Europe, Asia; one species; 9 kg
†Pseudaelurus 18 mya; Europe, Asia, North America; 12 species; average 40 kg
^Peigné, S. Systematic review of European Nimravinae (Mammalia, Carnivora, Nimravidae) and the phylogenetic relationships of
Palaeogene Nimravidae. Zool. Scr. 32, 199–229 (2003).
^Alexander Averianov, Ekaterina Obraztsova, Igor Danilov, Pavel Skutschas and Jianhua Jin (2016). "First nimravid skull from Asia". Scientific Reports 6: Article number 25812. doi:10.1038/srep25812.
^Josep M. Robles , David M. Alba , Josep Fortuny , Soledad De Esteban-Trivigno , Cheyenn Rotgers , Jordi Balaguer , Raül Carmona , Jordi Galindo , Sergio Almécija , Juan V. Bertó & Salvador Moyà-Solà , Journal of Systematic Palaeontology (2013): New craniodental remains of the barbourofelid Albanosmilus jourdani (Filhol, ) from the Miocene of the Vallès-Penedès Basin (NE Iberian Peninsula) and the phylogeny of the Barbourofelini, Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, DOI:10.1080/14772019.2012.724090
^Barycka, Ewa (2005). "Evolution and systematics of the feliform Carnivora". Mammalian Biology. 72 (5): 257–282. doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2006.10.011.
^Patou, M.; Mclenachan, P.A.; Morley, C.G.; Couloux, A.; Jennings, A.P.; Veron, G. (2009). "Molecular phylogeny of the Herpestidae (Mammalia, Carnivora) with a special emphasis on the Asian Herpestes". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 53 (1): 69–80. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2009.05.038.
^ abKoepfli, K.-P.; Jenks, S. M.; Eizirik, E.; Zahirpour, T.; Van Valkenburgh, B.; Wayne, R. K. (2006). "Molecular systematics of the Hyaenidae: Relationships of a relictual lineage resolved by a molecular supermatrix". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 38 (3): 603–620. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.10.017. PMID16503281. Cite error: The named reference "Koepfli2006" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
^Turner, Alan; Antón, Mauricio; Werdelin, Lars (2008). "Taxonomy and evolutionary patterns in the fossil Hyaenidae of Europe". Geobios. 41 (5): 677–687. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2008.01.001.
^Turner, Alan (1990). "The evolution of the guild of larger terrestrial carnivores during the Plio-Pleistocene in Africa". Geobios. 23 (3): 349–368. doi:10.1016/0016-6995(90)80006-2.
^Turner, Alan (1997). The Big Cats and their fossil relatives. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 60. ISBN0-231-10228-3.
^Spassov, Nikolai; Geraads, Denis (2015). "A New Felid from the Late Miocene of the Balkans and the Contents of the Genus Metailurus Zdansky, 1924 (Carnivora, Felidae)". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 22: 45–56. doi:10.1007/s10914-014-9266-5.