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Classification

Currently, the following classification of the ferret badgers is generally accepted:

Class: Mammalia (Mammals)

Family: Mustelidae (Weasels etc.)

Sub-family: Melinae (True badgers)

Genus & species: Melogale moschata (Chinese ferret badger)

Genus & species: Melogale personata (Burmese ferret badger)

Genus & species: Melogale orientalis (Javan ferret badger)

Genus & species: Melogale everetti (Everett's ferret badger)

However, the ferret badgers have not been studied in depth, and as I will show below, there are some different thoughts on how they should be classified.

Chinese ferret badger

This species was first described (as Helictis moschata) by Gray in 1831 [w005-06].

Burmese ferret badger

The Burmese ferret badger was described by Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1831 [w005-07].

Javan ferret badger

The Javan ferret badger was first described by Horsfield in 1821 [reference to follow].

Some taxonomists have classed this species as a subspecies of the Burmese ferret badger: Melogale personata orientalis.

Everett's ferret badger

This species was first described (as Helictis everetii) by Thomas in 1895 [w005-08].

Some taxonomists have classified this ferret badger as a subspecies of the Burmese ferret badger: Melogale personata everetti [b016]. Others have treated it as belonging to the same species as the ferret badgers of Java, Melogale orientalis [b004, w005-08, b016].

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Subspecies

Chinese ferret badger

The following subspecies have been described:

• Melogale moschata moschata - the "nominate" subspecies.
• Melogale moschata subaurantiaca - from Taiwan [b008, b016, and others].
• Melogale moschata hainanensis - on the island of Hainan, China [b016].
• Melogale moschata taxilla - from Vietnam. [w014].
• Melogale moschata sorella - from south-eastern China. Some taxonomists as a full species, Melogale sorella [b003-01].

The Burmese ferret badger

The following subspecies have been described:

• Melogale personata personata - the "nominate" species.
• Melogale personata laotum - occurs in Thailand and Laos. [b007]

The subspecies Melogale personata orientalis has also been described, but this is now generally regarded as a species in its own right, the Javan ferret badger Melogale orientalis.

Javan ferret badger

The following subspecies have been described:

• Melogale orientalis orientalis - the "nominate" subspecies, from eastern Java. [b016]
• Melogale orientalis sundaicus - from western Java. [b016]

Everett's ferret badger

No subspecies have been described.

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Picture credits

The Burmese ferret badger photo used at the head of this Article is © Mr Sawai Wanghongsa, and used with the kind permission of the Royal Forest Department of Thailand. Credits for the photos used in the right-hand margin of this page for site navigation can be found on the Credits page.

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