Asiatic linsang

The Asiatic linsang (Prionodon) is a genus with two species, the banded linsang (Prionodon linsang) and the spotted linsang (Prionodon pardicolor).Pocock R.I. 1939. 'The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Mammalia. – Volume 1. Taylor and Francis, London, 334–342. They are native to southeast Asia:

DNA analysis on 29 species showed that Prionodon was the sister-group of the family Felidae. So the Asiatic linsangs are put in a family of their own, the Prionodontidae.Gaubert P. and Veron G. 2003. Exhaustive sample set among Viverridae reveals the sister-group of felids: the linsangs as a case of extreme morphological convergence within Feliformia . Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B, 270 (1532): 2523–2530.  Prionodon is not closely related to the African linsangs, although they look similar, and live a similar life. They are small cat-like carnivores adapted to catching small prey among the trees of a tropical forest. The similarities between the two groups came about by convergent evolution.

Prionodon is basal to the Feliformia and a sister taxon of the Felidae.Barycka E. 2007. Evolution and systematics of the feliform Carnivora. Mammalian Biology. 72: 257–282.

 References 

Category:Feliformia
Category:Mammals of Asia