Genetta genetta
Genetta genetta (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name: common small-spotted genet
Synonyms: afra G. Cuvier, 1825; albipes Trouessart, 1904; balearica Thomas, 1902; barbar Wagner, 184; barbara C. E. H. Smith, 1842; bella Matschie, 1902; bonapartei Loche, 1857; communis Burnett, 1830; dongolana Hemprich and Ehrenberg, 1832; gallica Oken, 1816; grantii Thomas, 1902; guardafuensis Neumann, 1902; hararensis Neumann, 1902; hispanica Oken, 1816; isabelae Delibes, 1977; leptura Reichenbach, 1836; ludia Thomas and Schwann, 1906; lusitanica Seabra, 1924; melas Graells, 1897; neumanni Matschie, 1902; peninsulae Cabrera, 1905; pulchra Matschie, 1902; pyrenaica Bourdelle and Dezillière, 1951; rhodanica Matschie, 1902; senegalensis J. B. Fischer, 1829; tedescoi de Beaux, 1924; terraesanctae Neumann, 1902; vulgaris Lesson, 1827.
Distribution: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Republic of Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Populations in France, Portugal and Spain resulting from introductions during historical times. Individuals episodically found in Belgium, Germany, Holland, Italy and Libya.
Habitat: all habitats except densely forested areas (in Africa).
Sympatric species: G. abyssinica, G. angolensis, G. felina, G. "letabae", G. maculata, G. pardina, G. "schoutedeni", G. thierryi.
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Teeth
- General aspect of the dentition : normal
- m2 : developed (similar to size of m1 talonid)
- M2 : present, well developed
- Flattening of the anterior region of the mandible : absent
- m1 talonid : developed (hypoconulid, entoconid and hypoconid present)
- P3 lingual cusp : present
Body proportion
Pads
Teats
Hair ultrastructure
- Cortex of dorsal guard hair (spatula) : thin (< 1/3 medulla width)
- Cross section shape of dorsal guard hair (base of spatula) : round or slightly ovoid
- Margin of the scales located in the middle of the spatula of dorsal guard hair : crenelated
- Shape of the scales located between the base and the middle of dorsal guard hair : baso-distally compressed
Coat
- Pair of wide median nuchal stripes : absent
- Coat of hindfoot : same as ground coloration but dark around pads
- Coat of upper leg : same as ground coloration but dark posterior part
- Coat of inner upper leg : same as ground coloration
- Spots on upper leg : merged into fragmented horizontal lines
- Coat of forefoot : same as ground coloration but dark around pads
- Coat of upper arm : same as ground coloration but dark posterior part
- Mid-dorsal crest : present (longer than adjacent dorsal hairs)
- Length of hairs on tail : long (from 40 to 45 mm)
- Tip of the tail : bright
- Chin : inferior chops bordered by a large dark stripe
- Sagital (nuchal) crest : absent
- Rings on tail : present
- Dorsal spots : present
- Number of bright rings on tail (not included, if present: i) short, distal bright ring, and ii) last bright ring covered with dark) : eight ; nine
- Relative width of the bright rings over the dark rings (middle of tail, dorsal view) : ca. 100 %
- Shape of the first dark rings of the tail : circle
- Distal part of the tail : alternation of dark and bright rings
- "Dirty"stripe longitudinally crossing the rings of the upper part of the tail : well marked
- Mid-dorsal line : present
- Longitudinal coalescence of the first row of dorsal spots (contiguous to mid-dorsal line) : weak,at the rump (fusion of 2-3 spots) ; important, at the rump (fusion of> 3 spots)
- Density of distribution of dorsal spots : low
- Mid-dorsal line, pattern : continuous stripe
- Mid-dorsal line, coloration : full dark
Skull
- Maxillary-palatine suture position in relation to main cusp of P3 : at the same level
- Premaxillary-maxillary suture position in relation to cusp of P1 : forward
- Ventral inflation of the caudal entotympanic bone (ceb) : weak (similar level of inflation with ectotympanic bone)
- Staphylinal fissure : V-shaped
- Interorbital constriction : intermediate (equal to 1 +/- 0.12)
- Posterior extension of the frontal bones, from post-orbital process to post-orbital constriction : moderated, overlapping ca. 50 % of the dorsal part of the interorbital constriction
- Premaxillary-frontal contact : absent
- Shape of crest of insertion of temporal muscles (upper part of the parietal) : very narrow, elevated ; very narrow stripe, not elevated