Urva

Urva is a genus of mongooses, family Herpestidae, comprising nine species known as the Asian mongooses, distributed from the Arabian Peninsula to the Indonesian island of Java. Members were formerly classified within the genus Herpestes, but phylogenetic research showed they form a distinct monophyletic group descended from an Asian common ancestor, separate from the African mongooses. The small Indian mongoose, Urva auropunctata, has become an invasive species on several islands following introductions in the late 19th century.