Herpestoidea

Herpestoidea Temporal range: 29.51–0  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Oligocene – Present [1]
Top to bottom: Fossa, spotted hyena, Indian grey mongoose
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Parvorder:	Viverroidea
Superfamily:	Herpestoidea Bonaparte, 1845
Families
See text
Synonyms
Hyaenoidea

Herpestoidea is a superfamily of Mammalia carnivores which includes mongooses, ^[2] Malagasy carnivorans ^[3] and the hyenas.

Herpestoids, with the exception of the hyenas, have a cylindrical and elongated body, which allows them to get into holes to catch prey. ^[2] Herpestoids are feliforms and several of them specialize in hunting animals bigger than they are. ^[4]

They live throughout Eurasia, Africa and the island of Madagascar. ^[4]

Classification

Superfamily Herpestoidea ^[5]

• incertae sedis: family †Lophocyonidae (it probably belongs just outside Herpestoidea)
• family Eupleridae (Malagasy carnivorans)
• family Herpestidae (mongooses and allies)
• family Hyaenidae (hyenas and aardwolf) - including the former family †Percrocutidae

Phylogenetic tree

The phylogenetic relationships of Herpestoidea are shown in the following cladogram: ^{[6] [7] [5]}

Herpestoidea	Herpestidae (mongoose) Eupleridae (Malagasy carnivorans) Hyaenidae † Percrocutidae Hyaenidae (hyaenas) sensu lato

The family † Lophocyonidae , which was recovered as closely related to Hyaenidae in 2019, rather seems to belong somewhere between Viverridae and Herpestoidea.

References

1. Zhou, Y.; Wang, S.-R.; Ma, J.-Z. (2017). "Comprehensive species set revealing the phylogeny and biogeography of Feliformia (Mammalia, Carnivora) based on mitochondrial DNA". PLOS ONE. 12 (3) e0174902. Bibcode:2017PLoSO..1274902Z. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174902 . PMC   5373635 . PMID   28358848.
2. Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Family Herpestidae". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 562–571. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
3. Wozencraft, 2005, pp. 560–561
4. Smith, S. All about Herpestoidea. pp. 150–231. Retrieved 08.31.2018
5. BARRETT, P. Z. THE EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF THE FELIFORMIA: CONTINGENCY, CONSTRAINT, DISPARITY (dissertation). June 2022
6. Barycka, E. (2007). "Evolution and systematics of the feliform Carnivora". Mammalian Biology. 72 (5): 257–282. Bibcode:2007MamBi..72..257B. doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2006.10.011.
7. Morales, J.; Mayda, S.; Valenciano, A; DeMiguel, D.; Kaya, T. (2019). "A new lophocyonid, Izmirictis cani gen. et sp. nov. (Carnivora: Mammalia), from the lower Miocene of Turkey". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 17 (16): 1347–1358. Bibcode:2019JSPal..17.1347M. doi:10.1080/14772019.2018.1529000. hdl: 10261/223616 . S2CID   91268744.