Revising the species “Mustela” ardea Gervais, 1848–1852 (Mammalia, Mustelidae): Martellictis gen. nov. and the systematics of the fossil “Galictinae” of Eurasia

A number of recent genetic and systematic reviews have changed our knowledge of the taxonomy of Mustelidae. In particular, the subfamily Galictinae Reig, 1956 has been recently grouped in the subfamily Ictonychinae Pocock, 1921. Among the Eurasian fossil taxa of this subfamily, the first to be described were Enhydrictis Major, 1901 and Pannonictis Kormos, 1931. The latter genus is well characterised from the Plio-Pleistocene deposits of central and southern Europe, whereas Enhydrictis is an endemic and enigmatic form, recovered from late Pleistocene localities of Sardinia. Other recent studies have revealed a more palaeodiverse and complex taxonomic scenario than was previously thought. Based on various evidence, this review proposes a reinterpretation of the material of the galictini from early Pleistocene sites such as St. Vallier and Olivola, historically named “Mustela” ardea Gervais, 1848–1852, and its attribution to Martellictis gen. nov. The definition of Martellictis ardea reveals a more complex systematic panorama of western Eurasian Ictonychinae, and at the same time, this re-ascription stresses the importance of understanding the possible origin of the different morphological adaptations (such as those of Enhydrictis) and clarifying the phylogenetic relationships among these taxa.