Meles (genus) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
''Meles'' is a genus of badgers containing four living species known as Eurasian badgers, the Japanese badger (''Meles anakuma''), Asian badger (''Meles leucurus''), Caucasian badger (''Meles canescens'') and European badger (''Meles meles''). In an older categorization, they were seen as a single species with three subspecies (''Meles meles anakuma'', ''Meles meles leucurus'' and ''Meles meles meles''). There are also several Extinction, extinct members of the genus. They are members of the subfamily Melinae of the weasel family, Mustelidae.
A further species is ''Meles thorali'' from the late Pleistocene, known only from fossil remains, specimens of which have been found at Saint-Vallier, Drôme, in southeastern France and Binagady, in Azerbaijan. These have large cheek teeth and characteristics intermediate between ''M. meles'' and ''M. anakuma''. It is theorized that they were an ancestral species from which these two modern species diverged. Another extinct species from Europe is ''Meles hollitzeri'' from the Early Pleistocene, remains of which were found in Deutsch-Altenburg, in northeastern Austria, and Untermassfeld, in southeastern Germany.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Meles'' was erected by French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1762 after Carl Linnaeus had Species description, described the Eurasian badger ''Meles meles'' in 1758. This animal had a very extensive range over most of temperate Europe and Asia and there has been much discussion as to whether it is a single or three distinct species. There are geographical differences between individuals from different parts of the range in skull structure, morphology (biology), morphology of the first premolar teeth, and facial markings. Some authorities advocated placing European and Asian badgers in separate species, ''Meles meles'' and ''Meles leptorhynchus'' (Milne-Edwards, 1867), the boundary between the two being the Volga River. Others considered three subspecies, ''M. m. meles'' found west of the Volga, ''M. m. arenarius-leptorhynchus'' found between the Volga and Transbaikalia, and ''M. m. amurensis-anakuma'' from the Amur Oblast, Amur and Primorsky Krai, Primorsky regions. Genetic studies of mitochondrial DNA show the separation of two variants on either side of the Volga but their exact taxonomic rank remains undefined. A further study of cheek teeth from individuals across the entire range supports this division and provides confirmation that ''M. meles'' and ''M. anakuma'' are indeed separate species.Extant species
Fossils
A further species is ''Meles thorali'' from the late Pleistocene, known only from fossil remains, specimens of which have been found at Saint-Vallier, Drôme, in southeastern France and Binagady, in Azerbaijan. These have large cheek teeth and characteristics intermediate between ''M. meles'' and ''M. anakuma''. It is theorized that they were an ancestral species from which these two modern species diverged. Another extinct species from Europe is ''Meles hollitzeri'' from the Early Pleistocene, remains of which were found in Deutsch-Altenburg, in northeastern Austria, and Untermassfeld, in southeastern Germany.
References
Cited texts
*External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meles (Genus) Badgers Mammal genera Taxa named by Mathurin Jacques Brisson Extant Pleistocene first appearances