Geraldine Veron

Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle · Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité

Invasive alien species represent one of the major factors of global loss of biodiversity and disruption of natural ecosystems. The small Indian mongoose, Urva auropunctata, is considered one of the wild carnivore species with the greatest negative impact on global biodiversity. Understanding of the factors underpinning the species’ distribution and...

The introduction of exotic species is one of the major causes of the decline of global biodiversity. Tropical insular ecosystems, including many biodiversity hotspots, are particularly threatened by biological invasions. Two wild carnivores have been introduced in the Caribbean, the northern raccoon Procyon lotor and the small Indian mongoose Urva...

The small Indian mongoose has been introduced into several important hotspots of biodiversity and is considered the wild carnivore with the greatest negative impact on autochthonous ecosystems. Understanding the introduction and dispersal history of the species is crucial in any effort to conserve global biodiversity. We investigated the genetic st...

The Herpestidae is an ecologically and behaviourally diverse family that comprises 25 African and 9 Asian mongoose species. They are slender, small carnivores (ranging from 200 g to 5 kg) that live in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia; one mongoose species is found in Europe and a few species have been introduced in many places in the world. The He...

Species displaced outside their native range may face new pressures resulting from both environmental gradients and important differences in ecosystem structure. We investigated how this may impact the morphological variation of a globally introduced carnivoran, the small Indian mongoose. Previous research showed size variations in several introduc...

Sand cats, Felis margarita, range from northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to Central Asia. Their apparently discontinuous distribution is recognized as comprising four subspecies. Recent genetic research found little differentiation between subspecies except for the North African form. In this study, 90 skins and 88 skulls were analyzed from...

Sub-Saharan Africa is under-represented in global biodiversity datasets, particularly regarding the impact of land use on species’ population abundances. Drawing on recent advances in expert elicitation to ensure data consistency, 200 experts were convened using a modified-Delphi process to estimate ‘intactness scores’: the remaining proportion of...

Phylogeographies of African mammals reveal patterns that correlate with Pleistocene environmental fluctuations and geographical barriers, which may affect species differently according to their habitat preferences and dispersal capabilities. The marsh mongoose Atilax paludinosus, a widely distributed African carnivoran, is a good model to compare w...

Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are worldwide invaders, due to deliberate or accidental releases, and their impacts exceed hundred of billions of Euros in Europe only. In France, raccoons have currently established three separate, expanding populations. Identifying the current spatial genetic structure, dispersal events and phylogeography of these populat...

Comparative whole-genome analyses hold great power to illuminate commonalities and differences in the evolution of related species that share similar ecologies. The mustelid subfamily Lutrinae includes 13 currently recognized extant species of otters,1, 2, 3, 4, 5 a semiaquatic group whose evolutionary history is incompletely understood. We assembl...

Southeast Asia supports 13 civet and 4 mongoose species that are poorly known and some are threatened with extinction. We investigated the ecology and distribution of several species, using radio‐telemetry, ecological niche modelling, and camera‐trapping. On Buton Island, Sulawesi, we obtained radio‐telemetry data from eight Malay civets, Viverra t...

Aim: Comprehensive, global information on species' occurrences is an essential biodiversity variable and central to a range of applications in ecology, evolution, biogeography and conservation. Expert range maps often represent a species' only available distributional information and play an increasing role in conservation assessments and macroeco...

The order Carnivora, which currently includes 296 species classified into 16 families, is distributed across all continents. The phylogeny and the timing of diversification of members of the order are still a matter of debate. Here, complete mitochondrial genomes were analysed to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships and to estimate divergence...

Zootaxa came as a new and innovative publication medium for taxonomy, amidst a scenario of devaluation of this important biological science. After 20 years, it has ascertained itself as one of the main journals in animal taxonomy. However, the contribution of the journal to the taxonomy of Mammalia (mammals), one of the most studied groups of anima...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240770.].

The order Carnivora, which currently includes 296 species classified into 16 families, is distributed across all continents. The phylogeny and the timing of diversification of members of the order are still a matter of debate. Here, complete mitochondrial genomes were analysed to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships and to estimate divergence...

Viruses similar to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been discovered in bats of the genus Rhinolophus and in the Sunda pangolin, Manis javanica Desmarest, 1822, suggesting that these animals have played a key role in the emergence of the Covid-19 outbreak in the city of Wuhan, China. In this paper, we review the...

Zoological institutions play an ever‐greater role in awareness of biodiversity and are increasingly involved in conservation initiatives. The Binturong Arctictis binturong is an elusive and poorly known carnivore of the family Viverridae, found in South East Asian ecosystems. This species, affected by diverse human‐related threat processes, is list...

The skeleton is a complex arrangement of anatomical structures that covary to various degrees depending on both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Among the Feliformia, many species are characterized by predator lifestyles providing a unique opportunity to investigate the impact of highly specialized hypercarnivorous diet on phenotypic integration an...

The order Carnivora, which currently includes 296 species classified into 16 families, is distributed across all continents. The phylogeny and the timing of diversifications are still a matter of debate. Here, complete mitochondrial genomes were analysed to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships and to estimate divergence times among species of...

The sand cat, Felis margarita Loche, 1858, is a small desert cat with a fragmented distribution across the Sahara, Arabian Peninsula, and Central Asia. It is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN; however, its status in many countries is unknown. Sand cats are generally classified into four subspecies: F. m. margarita (North Africa and Saha...

Small mammalian carnivores represent over half of the species of the order Carnivora. Over the past few decades, molecular studies have improved the systematics of small carnivore families, resulting in the recognition of four additional families. Several new species of small carnivores have also been proposed recently, but some of these have not b...

La famille des mangoustes compte 34 espèces, présentes en Afrique et en Asie dans des habitats très variés, de la savane à la forêt tropicale. De la structure sociale complexe des suricates et des mangues rayées, à la vie solitaire des mangoustes à queue courte, cette famille de petits carnivores réserve bien des surprises.

La famille des mangoustes compte 34 espèces, présentes en Afrique et en Asie dans des habitats très variés, de la savane à la forêt tropicale. De la structure sociale complexe des suricates et des mangues rayées, à la vie solitaire des mangoustes à queue courte, cette famille de petits carnivores réserve bien des surprises.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Although remote camera-traps are used worldwide for ecological studies, the methods of use are often based on ground-level detection. This inherently limits the ability to detect arboreal species. This study aims to test arboreal camera trapping as an alternative method to improve the detection of the binturong ( Arctictis binturong ). We obtained...

The introduction of species outside their natural range is one of the major threats to biodiversity and has often been identified as a menace to agricultural production and human health. The raccoon is recognized as a globally invasive species. However, several populations in the Caribbean were long considered native and endemic species. Although p...

The binturong or bearcat is a forest mesocarnivore ranging from Nepal to Indonesia and the Philippines. Several subspecies of binturongs are recognized but a revision is needed. The binturong from Palawan was described as a species and is now considered a subspecies, but its status has never been checked using molecular approaches. Owing to its res...

Invasive species are considered as one of the major threats to biodiversity and represent a major challenge in the conservation of natural ecosystems, in preventing damage to agricultural production, and human health risks. Environmental Niche Modelling has emerged as a powerful tool to predict the patterns of range expansion of non-native species...

The application of high throughout sequencing (HTS) for metabarcoding of mixed samples offers new opportunities in conservation biology. Recently the successful detection of prey DNA from the guts of leeches has raised the possibility that these, and other blood‐feeding invertebrates, might serve as useful samplers of mammals. Yet little is known a...

In the modern definition of adaptive radiation, a clade rapidly diversifies from a common ancestor to colonize a wide variety of new ecological niches. The idea of multiplication of species related to an adaptive radiation is well accepted. However, the assessment of how ecological and phenotypic diversity is interrelated in the case of adaptive ra...

Cryptoprocta ferox, or fosa, is the largest living endemic carnivoran of Madagascar, with presumably high dispersal capacity, and for which no broad scale phylogeographic study has been conducted to date. This species is considered “Vulnerable” by the IUCN and the subject of a captive breeding program; approximately 113 individuals are held in 57 z...

Members of the genus Eupleres are poorly known insectivorous carnivorans belonging to the family Eupleridae (order Carnivora), which are endemic to Madagascar. Recently, using morphological characters, the two previously recognized subspecies of Eupleres goudotii were raised to the species level, with E. goudotii occurring in the humid forests of t...

The genus Potos (Procyonidae) is currently recognized as a monotypic genus comprising the single species Potos flavus, the kinkajou. Kinkajous are widely distributed throughout forested habitats of tropical Central and South America, extending from eastern Brazil across central Bolivia, eastern Peru, northern Ecuador, Guianas, Suriname, Venezuela,...

The Javan mongoose Urva javanica and the small Indian mongoose Urva auropunctata have been recently shown not to be conspecific. However, the limits of their respective distribution ranges have not been fully defined. In particular, Chinese populations were not attributed to either species using molecular data. Furthermore, the small mongooses foun...

The Malagasy carnivorans (Eupleridae) comprise seven genera and up to ten species, depending on the authority, and, within the past decades, two new taxa have been described. The family is divided into two subfamilies, the Galidiinae, mongoose-like animals, and the Euplerinae, with diverse body forms. To verify the taxonomic status of Galidiinae sp...

The Leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis is a habitat generalist that is widely distributed across Southeast Asia. Based on morphological traits, this species has been subdivided into 12 subspecies. Thus far, there have been few molecular studies investigating intraspecific variation, and those had been limited in geographic scope. For this reason,...

Due to the difficulty in obtaining samples, the systematics of the Hemigalinae civets has not been fully resolved. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationships of the species and the intraspecific diversity within this subfamily, and to explore the environmental factors that might have affected its evolution. Using two mitochondrial and t...

The biogeographic dynamics affecting the Indian subcontinent, East and Southeast Asia during the Plio-Pleistocene has generated complex biodiversity patterns. We assessed the molecular biogeography of the small Indian civet (Viverricula indica) through mitogenome and cytochrome b + control region sequencing of 89 historical and modern samples to (i...

This paper reviews the distribution and status of a group of carnivores belonging to different sub-families of mustelids and skunks that have similar morphological characteristics and fossorial activities. On the basis of scientific literature and a questionnaire that was sent to wildlife researchers and agencies in countries where badger species a...

Abstract The complete mitochondrial genome of the Spotted Linsang, Prionodon pardicolor, was sequenced using overlapping PCR products. The genome is 16,718 base pairs in length and contains the 37 genes found in a typical mammalian genome: 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes and 2 ribosomal RNA genes. The overall base composition on the...

Abstract The complete mitochondrial genome of the boky-boky, Mungotictis decemlineata, was sequenced using overlapping PCRs. The genome is 16,910 base pairs in length and contains the 37 genes found in a typical mammalian genome: 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes and 2 ribosomal RNA genes. The overall base composition on the L-strand i...

Spatial distribution of small carnivores within oil palm plantations

Description Table S1 Detailed list of the samples and cytochrome b + control region sequences used in this study. Samples used for the concatenated analysis are highlighted in green. Type specimen appears in red. Museum acronyms: ZSM = Zoologische Staatssammlung München; KFBG = Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, Hong Kong; NHM = Natural History Muse...

Using molecular data and morphological features, we investigated the species limits and genetic diversity among populations of the Asian palm civets of the genus Paradoxurus. Our main objectives were to determine the number of species within Paradoxurus hermaphroditus and to test the validity of the newly proposed species within Paradoxurus zeylone...

Knowledge of a species’ distribution and habitat preferences is of paramount importance when assessing its conservation status. We used accurately recorded occurrence records and ecological niche modeling to predict the distribution of two poorly known small carnivore species that occur in Asia, the spotted linsang (Prionodon pardicolor) and banded...

In Southeast Asia, the conversion of native forests to oil palm plantations threatens tropical biodiversity, but very little is known about the impacts of oil palm cultivation on small carnivore species. To determine the diversity and occupancy of small carnivores within oil palm plantations and to investigate possible factors that might affect the...

The small-toothed palm civet Arctogalidia trivirgata is a small, arboreal civet belonging to the subfamily Paradoxurinae (Viverridae) that is found in northeast India, southern China, and Southeast Asia. This is an understudied species with a debated taxonomy. Variation in coat colour and pattern has driven authors to describe numerous taxa of this...