''Pekania'' is a genus of

mustelid The Mustelidae (; from Latin ''mustela'', weasel) are a family of carnivorous mammals, including weasels, badgers, otters, ferrets, martens, minks and wolverines, among others. Mustelids () are a diverse group and form the largest family in ...

that contains a single living species, the

fisher Fisher is an archaic term for a fisherman, revived as gender-neutral. Fisher, Fishers or The Fisher may also refer to: Places Australia *Division of Fisher, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, in Queensland *Elect ...

''(Pekania pennanti)''. Formerly placed in the genus '' Martes'', it was determined to be distinct enough to be placed within its own genus. A 2013 study also identified several fossil species formerly in ''Martes'' that are more closely related – and probably ancestral – to the fisher, moving them into ''Pekania'' as well.

Taxonomy

The fisher was for many years placed in the genus ''Martes''. In 2008, advances in DNA analysis allowed a more detailed study of the fisher's evolutionary history. The fisher and the genus ''Martes'' were determined to have descended from a common ancestor, but the fisher was distinct enough to put it in its own genus. It was decided to create the genus ''Pekania'' and reclassify the fisher as ''Pekania pennanti''. Current studies suggest that the fisher is more closely related to the

wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for "gluttony, glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is ...

and

tayra The tayra (''Eira barbara'') is an omnivorous animal from the weasel family, native to the Americas. It is the only species in the genus ''Eira''. Tayras are also known as the ''tolomuco'' or ''perico ligero'' in Central America, ''motete'' in ...

than it is to martens, further supporting its placement in the new genus.

Evolution

Although endemic to North America today, ''Pekania'' probably traces its ancestry to Asia, with the first species known from between 2.5 and 5.0 million years ago. Two extinct members of the genus known from

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...

are ''Pekania palaeosinensis'' and ''P. anderssoni'', though ''P. anderssoni'' is often considered to be a synonym of ''P. palaeosinensis''. The first North American member of the genus, ''P. diluviana'', has only been found in

Middle Pleistocene The Chibanian, widely known by its previous designation of Middle Pleistocene, is an age in the international geologic timescale or a stage in chronostratigraphy, being a division of the Pleistocene Epoch within the ongoing Quaternary Period. The ...

North America. ''P. diluviana'' is strongly indicated to be related to the Asian finds, which suggests a migration. The modern fisher has been found as early as the

Late Pleistocene The Late Pleistocene is an unofficial Age (geology), age in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, also known as Upper Pleistocene from a Stratigraphy, stratigraphic perspective. It is intended to be the fourth division of ...

era, about 125,000 years ago. No major differences are seen between the Pleistocene fisher and the modern fisher. Fossil evidence indicates that the fisher's range extended farther south than it does today.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q27203130 Martens Mammal genera Mammal genera with one living species