Abstract
We built an interactive identification key (IIK) to provide a user-friendly tool for the problematic identification of the Genettinae species (Genetta spp. and Poiana spp.) using Xper², a knowledge platform dedicated to taxonomic description and identification. A total of 45 qualitative characters were described after the observation of > 4500 specimens, representing 19 species. Assessing among-species discrimination efficiency per character partition and character, we were able to establish a list of 13 characters from skull and coat likely to optimize species identification among Genettinae. Genetta maculata and G. “letabae”, which belong to the large-spotted genet complex, was the only species pair that could not be distinguished. The IIK of Genettinae we propose herein (http://lis.snv.jussieu.fr/apps/xper/data/genettes/ web/) may be used to assist regular-basis update of distribution ranges, a needed effort for several poorly known species of high conservation concern.References
Allen, J.A. (1919) Preliminary notes on African Carnivora. Journal of Mammalogy, 1, 23–31.
Angelici, F.M., Luiselli, L., Politano, E. & Akani, G.C. (1999) Bushmen and mammal-fauna: A survey of the mammals traded in bush-meat markets of local people in the rainforests of South-Eastern Nigeria. Anthropozoologica, 30, 51–58.
Baulieu, F.B. (1989) A classification of presence/absence based dissimilarity coefficients. Journal of Classification, 6, 233–246.
Brach, A.R., & Song, H. (2005) ActKey: a Web-based interactive identification key program. Taxon, 54(4), 1041–1046.
Coetzee, C.G. (1977) Order Carnivora. In: Meester, J. & Setzer, H.W. (Eds), 1971–1977. The mammals of Africa: an identification manual. Part 8. Smithsonian Inst. Press, Washington DC.
Colyn, M., Dufour, S., Condé, P.C. & Van Rompaey, H. (2004) The importance of small carnivores in forest bushmeat hunting in the Classified Forest of Diécké, Guinea. Small Carnivore Conservation, 31, 15–18.
Crawford-Cabral, J. (1970) As genetas da Africa Central. Boletim do Instituto de Investigação Científica de Angola, 7, 3–23.
Crawford-Cabral, J. (1981a) The classification of the genets (Carnivora, Viverridae, genus Genetta). Boletim da Sociedade Portuguesa de Ciências Naturais, 20, 97–114.
Crawford-Cabral, J. (1981b) Anàlise de dados craniometricos no généro Genetta G. Cuvier (Carnivora, Viverridae). Memorias da Junta de Investigaçoes Cientificas do Ultramar Centro de Zoologica, 66, 1–329.
Crawford-Cabral, J. & Fernandes, C. (2001) The Rusty-spotted genets as a group with three species in Southern Africa (Carnivora: Viverridae). In: Denys, C., Granjon, L. & Poulet, A. (Eds), African Small Mammals. IRD, Paris, pp. 65–80.
Crawford-Cabral, J. & Pacheco, A.P. (1992) Are the Large-spotted and the Rusty-spotted genets separate species (Carnivora, Viverridae, genus Genetta). Garcia de Orta, Séria de Zoologia, 16, 7–17.
Cuvier, G. (1816) Le règne animal distribué d’après son organisation, pour servir de base à l’histoire naturelle des animaux et d’introduction à l’anatomie comparée. Fortin et Masson, Paris, France.
Dallwitz, M.J. (2000 - onwards) Desirable attributes for interactive identification programs. http://delta-intkey.com.
Dallwitz, M.J. (2007) Overview of the DELTA System. http://delta-intkey.com/www/overview.htm.
Dallwitz, M.J., Paine, T.A. & Zurcher, E.J. (2000 - onwards) Principles of interactive keys. http://delta-intkey.com.
Dallwitz, M.J., Paine, T.A. & Zurcher, E.J. (2002 - onwards) Interactive identification using the Internet. http://delta-intkey.com.
Dandrieux, C., Vignes-Lebbe, R., Veron, G. & Tranier, M. (2002) Clef d'identification informatisée des renards africains du genre Vulpes (Carnivora, Mammalia). Mammalia, 66, 453–459.
Gaubert, P. (2003a) Description of a new species of genet (Carnivora; Viverridae; genus Genetta) and taxonomic revision of forest forms related to the Large-spotted Genet complex. Mammalia, 67, 85–108.
Gaubert, P. (2003b) Systématique et phylogénie du genre Genetta et des énigmatiques "genet-like taxa" Prionodon, Poiana et Osbornictis (Carnivora, Viverridae): caractérisation de la sous-famille des Viverrinae et étude des patrons de diversification au sein du continent africain. Unpublished PhD Thesis, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France, 371 pp.
Gaubert, P., Aniskin, V.M., Dunham, A.E., Crémière, C. & Volobouev, V.T. (2004a) Karyotype of the rare Johnston's genet Genetta johnstoni (Viverridae) and a reassessment of chromosomal characterization among congeneric species. Acta Theriologica, 49, 457–464.
Gaubert, P., & Begg, C.M. (2007) Re-assessed molecular phylogeny and evolutionary scenario within genets (Carnivora, Viverridae, Genettinae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 44, 920–927.
Gaubert, P. & Cordeiro-Estrela, P. 2006. Phylogenetic systematics and tempo of evolution of the Viverrinae (Mammalia, Carnivora, Viverridae) within feliformians: implications for faunal exchanges between Asia and Africa. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 41, 266–278.
Gaubert, P., Fernandes, C.A., Bruford, M.W. & Veron, G. (2004b) Genets (Carnivora, Viverridae) in Africa: an evolutionary synthesis based on cytochrome b sequences and morphological characters. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 81, 589–610.
Gaubert, P., Papeş, M. & Peterson, A.T. (2006) Natural history collections and the conservation of poorly known taxa: Ecological niche modeling in central African rainforest genets (Genetta spp.). Biological Conservation, 130, 106–117.
Gaubert, P., Taylor, P.J., Fernandes, C.A., Bruford, M.W. & Veron, G. (2005a) Patterns of cryptic hybridization revealed using an integrative approach: a case study on genets (Carnivora, Viverridae, Genetta spp.) from the southern African subregion. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 86, 11–33.
Gaubert, P., Taylor, P.J. & Veron, G. (2005b) Integrative taxonomy and phylogenetic systematics of the genets (Carnivora, Viverridae, genus Genetta): a new classification of the most speciose carnivoran genus in Africa. In: Huber, B.A., Sinclair, B.J. & Lampe, K.-H. (Eds), African Biodiversity: Molecules, Organisms, Ecosystems. Springer, New York, pp. 371–383.
Gaubert, P., Tranier, M., Veron, G., Kock, D., Dunham, A.E., Taylor, P.J., Stuart, C., Stuart, T. & Wozencraft, W.C. (2003) Nomenclatural comments on the Rusty-spotted Genet (Carnivora, Viverridae) and designation of a neotype. Zootaxa, 160, 1–14.
Gaubert, P., Veron, G. & Tranier, M. (2001) An investigation of morpho-anatomical characters within the genus Genetta (Carnivora, Viverridae), with a remark on Osbornictis, the aquatic genet. In: Denys, C., Granjon, L. & Poulet, A. (Eds), African Small Mammals. IRD, Paris, pp. 81–89.
Goodall, D.W. (1968) Identification by computer. Bioscience, 18, 485–488.
Gray, J.E. (1830) Spicilegia Zoologica. Treüttel, Würtz and Co., London, UK.
Gray, J.E. (1864) Gray JE (1864) A revision of the genera and species of Viverrine animals (Viverridae) founded on the collection in the British Museum. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1864, 502–579.
Hine, C. (2006). The politics and practice of accessibility in systematics. In: Shrum, W., Benson, K.R., Bijker, W.E. & Brunnstein, K (Eds), Past, Present and Future of Research in the Information Society. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, Germany.
Jarvie, J.K. & Stevens, P.F. (1998) Interactive keys, inventory, and conservation. Conservation Biology, 12, 222–224.
Lebbe, J. (1984) Manuel d'utilisation du logiciel XPER. Micro Application, Rueil Malmaison, France.
Lebbe, J. (1989) Représentation des concepts en biologie et en médecine. Introduction à l'analyse des connaissances et à l'identification assistée par ordinateur. PhD Thesis, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France, 282 pp.
Lebbe, J. & Vignes, R. (1998) State of the art in computer-aided identification in biology. Oceanis, 24, 305–317.
Matschie, P. (1902) Ueber die individuellen und geographischen Abänderungen der Ginsterkatzen. Verhandlungen des V. Internationalen Zoologen-Congresses, Berlin, 1128–1144.
Morse, L.E. (1971) Specimen identification and key construction with time-sharing computers. Taxon, 20, 269–282.
Pankhurst, R.J. & Aitchison, R.R. (1975) An on-line identification program. In: Pankhurst, R.J. (Ed.), Biological Identification with Computers. Academic Press, London, UK, pp. 181–185.
Pankhurst, R.J. (1991) Practical taxonomic computing. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
Papes, M. & Gaubert, P. (2007). Modelling ecological niches from low numbers of occurrences: assessment of the conservation status of poorly known viverrids (Mammalia, Carnivora) across two continents. Diversity and Distributions, 13, 890–902.
Pocock, R.I. (1908) Report upon a small collection of Mammalia brought from Liberia by Mr. Leonard Leighton. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1907, 1037–1047.
Rosevear, D.R. (1974) The Carnivores of West Africa. Trustees of the British Museum (N.H.), London, UK, 548 pp.
Sanderson, I.T. (1940) The mammals of the North Cameroons forest area. Being the results of the Percy Sladen Expedition to the Mamfe Division of the British Cameroons. Transactions of the Zoological Society of London, 24, 623–725.
Schlawe, L. (1981) Material, Fundorte, Text- und Bildquellen als Grundlagen für eine Artenliste zur Revision der Gattung Genetta G. CUVIER, 1816. Zoologische Abhandlungen des staatlichen Museums für Tierkunde Dresden, 37, 85–182.
Schreiber, A., Wirth, R., Riffel, M. & Van Rompaey, H. (1989) Weasels, Civets, Mongooses, and their Relatives - An action plan for the conservation of Mustelids and Viverrids. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, 100 pp.
Smith-Akin, K.A., McLane, S., Craig, T.M. & Johnson, T.R. (2006) Application of cognitive engineering principles to the redesign of a dichotomous identification key for parasitology. AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings Archive, 2006, 739–743.
Sneath, P.H.A. & Sokal, R.R. (1973) Numerical taxonomy. The principles and practice of numerical classification. Freeman, San Francisco, CA, 573 pp.
Thomas, O. & Schwann, H. (1906) The Rudd Exploration of South Africa. - V. List of Mammals obtained by Mr. Grant in N.E. Transvaal. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1906, 575–591.
Watson, L., Gibbs Russell, G.E. & Dallwitz, M.J. (1989) Grass genera of southern Africa: interactive identification and information retrieval from an automated data bank. South African Journal of Botany, 55, 452–463.
Wozencraft, W.C. (2005) Order Carnivora. In: Wilson, D.E. & Reeder, D.M. (Eds), Mammal species of the world - A taxonomic and geographic reference. 3rd Ed. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, pp. 532–628.