Spilogale Gray 1865

Spilogale Gray 1865, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1865: 150.

Type Species: Mephitis interrupta Rafinesque 1820

Species and subspecies: 4 species with 18 subspecies:

Species Spilogale angustifrons Howell 1902

Subspecies Spilogale angustifrons subsp. angustifrons Howell 1902

Subspecies Spilogale angustifrons subsp. celeris Hall 1938

Subspecies Spilogale angustifrons subsp. elata Howell 1906

Subspecies Spilogale angustifrons subsp. tropicalis Howell 1902

Subspecies Spilogale angustifrons subsp. yucatanensis Burt 1938

Species Spilogale gracilis Merriam 1890

Subspecies Spilogale gracilis subsp. gracilis Merriam 1890

Subspecies Spilogale gracilis subsp. amphialus Dickey 1929

Subspecies Spilogale gracilis subsp. latifrons Merriam 1890

Subspecies Spilogale gracilis subsp. leucoparia Merriam 1890

Subspecies Spilogale gracilis subsp. lucasana Merriam 1890

Subspecies Spilogale gracilis subsp. martirensis Elliot 1903

Subspecies Spilogale gracilis subsp. phenax Merriam 1890

Species Spilogale putorius (Linnaeus 1758)

Subspecies Spilogale putorius subsp. putorius Linnaeus 1758

Subspecies Spilogale putorius subsp. ambarvalis Bangs 1898

Subspecies Spilogale putorius subsp. interrupta Rafinesque 1820

Species Spilogale pygmaea Thomas 1897

Subspecies Spilogale pygmaea subsp. pygmaea Thomas 1897

Subspecies Spilogale pygmaea subsp. australis Hall 1938

Subspecies Spilogale pygmaea subsp. intermedia López-Forment and Urbano 1979

Discussion: Mead (1968) argued that S. p. gracilis and "possibly" leucoparia are reproductively isolated from eastern populations and therefore should be considered distinct species. Preliminary genetic data (Dragoo et al., 1993) support Mead (1968). However, both taxa were included by Van Gelder (1959). Kinlaw (1995) restricted putorius to the eastern spotted skunk. Owen et al. (1996) provided karyotypic data to support recognition of the southern spotted skunk, angustifrons, as a distinct species. Verts et al. (2001) reported information on subspecies of gracilis which included western populations of spotted skunks. They did not include taxa regarded by Hall and Kelson (1959) as pygmaea or angustifrons . Synonyms allocated according to Hall and Kelson (1959), Kinlaw (1995), and Verts et al. (2001).