Viverra felina Thunberg, 1811

(Figs 188; 189)

Viverra felina Thunberg, 1811a: 165 .

COMMON NAME. — Feline Genet.

CURRENT NAME. — Genetta felina (Thunberg, 1811) .

See Jennings & Veron (2009: 217). This species is possibly Genetta tigrina (Schreber, 1776: pl. 115 [1776], 3 (25): 425 [1777]). See Wozencraft (2005: 557) and Jennings & Veron (2009: 224).

COLLECTOR/S. — Charles-Alexandre Lesueur.

COLLECTION LOCALITY. — Cape Town, South Africa.

COLLECTION DATE. — Before 24 January 1804.

SPECIMEN NUMBER/S. — No specimen identified in MNHN collection.

COMMENTS. — One animal was collected taken alive back to France on board Le Géographe under the name of “Genette du Cap” by É.Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1804c: 172) and “ Viverra capensis ?” by Péron (1804a); which appear to refer to either Genetta felina or Genetta tigrina (Jennings & Veron 2009: 217, 224). Donated by Jan Willem Janssens, Governor-General of the Cape Colony in South Africa (Report 20 April 1804 by Fourcroy stored in library of the MNHN; See also Milius (1987: 57). Donation to François Péron (Péron 1804a). An illustration by Charles-Alexandre Lesueur (Inv. no. 80165 and 80166; Figs 185-186) of a live animal refers to the subject only as “ursus???”. Baglione & Crémière (2009: 172) referred to the same image as “Civette paliste”.

ILLUSTRATIONS. — Illustrated by Charles-Alexandre Lesueur – Muséum d’Histoire naturelle du Havre, Inv. no. 80165 and 80166 (Figs 188; 189; one animal.