NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Amazon Weasel
Neogale africana (Desmarest, 1818)
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Amazon weasel (Neogale africana), also known as the tropical weasel, is a species of New World weasel native to South America. It was first identified from a museum specimen mislabelled as coming from Africa, hence the scientific name.
Wikipedia contributors, Amazon weasel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:59:52.818834+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Neogale africana (Desmarest, 1818)
- Name authority
- (Desmarest, 1818)
- Common name
- Amazon Weasel
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Mustelidae
- Genus
- Neogale
- 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
- suborderCaniformia Kretzoi, 1938
- familyMustelidae G. Fischer von Waldheim, 1817
- subfamilyMustelinae G. Fischer von Waldheim, 1817
- genusNeogale Gray, 1865
- speciesNeogale africana (Desmarest, 1818)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Neogale. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Long-tailed WeaselNeogale frenata (Lichtenstein, 1831) | MustelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sea MinkNeogale macrodon (Prentiss, 1903) | MustelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| American MinkNeogale vison (Schreber, 1777) | MustelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Mustela africana Desmarest, 1818 Desmarest, 1818 | synonym |
| Mustela stolzmanni Taczanowski, 1881 Taczanowski, 1881 | synonym |
| Mustela africana africana Desmarest, 1818 Desmarest, 1818 | synonym |
| Mustela africana stolzmanni Taczanowski, 1881 Taczanowski, 1881 | 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=1271755 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:R6LVL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.