Mephitis is a genus of skunk in the family Mephitidae, order Carnivora, authored by E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire and G. Cuvier in 1795 with the type species Viverra mephitis. It comprises two species, both found in North America: the striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), distributed across southern Canada, the United States and northern Mexico, and the hooded skunk (Mephitis macroura), distributed from the southwestern United States through Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and northwest Costa Rica.
Facts
Taxonomic Rank Member Count Band Era First Appeared Classification
Living or Extinct Sources
1. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ1207714, descriptionView the Source 2. Mephitis (Wikipedia)
Introduction
Mephitis is one of several genera of skunks and comprises two species, both of which are found in North America.
- Taxonomic rank (structure-wave classification, ruling 761/926)
View the Source3. Catalogue of Life (ChecklistBank): Taxon metrics for Mephitis
Catalogue of Life (ChecklistBank)Taxon metrics, speciesExtantCountQuote, Taxon metrics, speciesExtantCount
"speciesExtantCount": 2
4. Paleobiology Database: Taxon record for Mephitis
Paleobiology DatabaseTaxon record, first appearance (firstapp_max_ma, early_interval)Quote, Taxon record, first appearance (firstapp_max_ma, early_interval)
"taxon_name": "Mephitis" ... "firstapp_max_ma": 4.7 ... "early_interval": "Zanclean"
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