Galerella

Galerella is a genus of the mongoose family (Herpestidae) native to Africa and commonly called the slender mongooses.[1]

Galerella[1]
Slender mongoose (Galerella sanguinea)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Herpestidae
Genus: Galerella
Gray, 1864
Species
  • Galerella flavescens
  • Galerella ochracea
  • Galerella pulverulenta
  • Galerella sanguinea
  • Galerella nigrata
Galerella ranges

There are four or five species in this genus, with more than 30 subspecies.

Four of the species have long been established:[1]

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Galerella flavescensAngolan slender mongooseAngola and Namibia.
Galerella ochraceaSomalian slender mongooseSomalia
Galerella pulverulentaCape gray mongooseSouth Africa, Lesotho and southern Namibia
Galerella sanguineaSlender mongoosesub-Saharan Africa
Galerella nigrataBlack mongooseAngola and Namibia

A recent addition is the black mongoose, Galerella nigrata, which now is considered a separate species by many scientists, following genetic analysis. It was previously seen as a variant of Galerella sanguinea.[2]

References

  1. Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M., eds. (2005). "Galerella". Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. Tromp S (2007). "Introducing the black mongoose" (PDF). University of Queensland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-08-12.


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