NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Cape Genet
Genetta tigrina (Schreber, 1776)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Tamboti Camp, Kruger NP, SOUTH AFRICA
Bernard Dupont from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 320 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Cape genet (Genetta tigrina), also known as the South African large-spotted genet, is a genet species endemic to South Africa. As it is common and not threatened, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Like other genets, it is nocturnal and arboreal, preferring to live in the riparian zones of forests, as long as these are not marshy areas.
Wikipedia contributors, Cape genet; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T01:49:42.457978+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Genetta tigrina (Schreber, 1776)
- Name authority
- (Schreber, 1776)
- Common name
- Cape Genet
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Viverridae
- Genus
- Genetta
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderCarnivora Bowdich, 1821
- suborderFeliformia Kretzoi, 1945
- familyViverridae Gray, 1821
- subfamilyGenettinae Gray, 1864
- genusGenetta G. Cuvier, 1816
- speciesGenetta tigrina (Schreber, 1776)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Genetta. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Abyssinian GenetGenetta abyssinica (Rüppell, 1836) | ViverridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Crested GenetGenetta cristata Hayman in Sanborn, 1940 | ViverridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Common GenetGenetta genetta (Linnaeus, 1758) | ViverridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Giant Forest GenetGenetta victoriae Thomas, 1901 | ViverridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Servaline GenetGenetta servalina Pucheran, 1855 | ViverridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Angolan GenetGenetta angolensis Bocage, 1882 | ViverridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bourlon's GenetGenetta bourloni Gaubert, 2003 | ViverridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Johnston's GenetGenetta johnstoni Pocock, 1908 | ViverridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pardine GenetGenetta pardina I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1832 | ViverridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Aquatic GenetGenetta piscivora (J. A. Allen, 1919) | ViverridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| King GenetGenetta poensis Waterhouse, 1838 | ViverridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hausa GenetGenetta thierryi Matschie, 1902 | ViverridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Viverra tigrina Schreber, 1776 Schreber, 1776 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=621996 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3FKPC. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.