Neovison Baryshnikov and Abramov 1997

Neovison Baryshnikov and Abramov 1997, Zool. Zh., 76 (12): 1408.

Type Species: Mustela vison Schreber 1777

Species and subspecies: 2 species with 15 subspecies:

Species Neovison macrodon (Prentis 1903)

Species Neovison vison (Schreber 1777)

Subspecies Neovison vison subsp. vison Schreber 1777

Subspecies Neovison vison subsp. aestuarina Ginnell 1916

Subspecies Neovison vison subsp. aniakensis Burns 1964

Subspecies Neovison vison subsp. energumenos Bangs 1896

Subspecies Neovison vison subsp. evagor Hall 1932

Subspecies Neovison vison subsp. evergladensis Hamilton 1948

Subspecies Neovison vison subsp. ingens Osgood 1900

Subspecies Neovison vison subsp. lacustris Preble 1902

Subspecies Neovison vison subsp. letifera Hollister 1913

Subspecies Neovison vison subsp. lowii Anderson 1945

Subspecies Neovison vison subsp. lutensis Bangs 1898

Subspecies Neovison vison subsp. melampeplus Elliot 1904

Subspecies Neovison vison subsp. mink Peale and Palisot de Beauvois 1796

Subspecies Neovison vison subsp. nesolestes Heller 1909

Subspecies Neovison vison subsp. vulgivaga Bangs 1895

Discussion: Commonly included in Mustela, separated accordingly to Abramov (1999). There are significant differences between the American mink and Mustela (and other Mustelidae) according to cytogenetic and biochemical data. The level of these differences is higher then differences among Mustela species (Belyaev et al., 1980; Brinck et al., 1983; Graphodatsky et al., 1976; Kurose et al., 2000; Lushnikova et al., 1989; Taranin et al., 1991). The analyses by Graphodatsky et al. (1976), Youngman (1982), and Kurose et al. (2000) support significant divergence of vison from the Mustela lineage. Masuda and Yoshida (1994 a) argued that inclusion of vison in Mustela would make Mustela paraphyletic.