Lutra Brünnich, 1771

W. Christopher Wozencraft, 1993, Order Carnivora, Mammal Species of the World (2 nd Edition), Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 279-348 : 311-312

Lutra Brünnich, 1771 . Zool. Fundamenta, p. 34, 42.

TYPE SPECIES: Mustela lutra Linnaeus, 1758 .

SYNONYMS: Barangia Gray, 1865 ; Hydrictis Pocock, 1921 ; Lutronectes Gray, 1867 .

COMMENTS: Some have used Lutra Brisson, 1762 , which was ruled unavailable (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, 1955). Pocock (1921 c, 1941«) recognized Lutrogale Gray, 1865 , and Hydrictis Pocock, 1921 . Harris (1968) and van Zyll de Jong (1987; 1991a) considered lutra , maculicollis , and sumatrana to represent a single monophyletic group; furthermore, van Zyll de Jong's analysis supported separation of perspicillata from other Lutra , which is followed here. Van Zyll de Jong (1972) referred New World otters to Lontra (see comment therein), and although this has not been followed by some recent checklists ( Corbet and Hill, 1991; Hall, 1981; Honacki, et al., 1982), van Zyll de Jong's hypothesis has not been refuted.