Manidae

Manidae ("spirits") is the only extant family of pangolins. This family comprises three genera (Manis from subfamily Maninae, Phataginus from subfamily Phatagininae, and Smutsia from subfamily Smutsiinae), as well as the extinct Fayum pangolin.

Classification and phylogeny

History of classification

All species of living pangolin had been assigned to the genus Manis until the late 2000s, when research prompted the splitting of extant pangolins into three genera: Manis, Phataginus, and Smutsia.

Taxonomy

Phylogeny

Phylogenetic position of family Manidae within order Pholidota based on Kondrashov & Agadjanian (2012.) study:

Phylogeny within family Manidae based on Wangmo (2025.) study:

See also

• Mammal classification
• Manoidea

References

External links

• ZSL Pangolin Conservation
• Pangolin: Wildlife summary from the African Wildlife Foundation
• Tree of Life of Pholidota
• National Geographic video of a pangolin
• Proceedings of the Workshop on Trade and Conservation of Pangolins Native to South and Southeast Asia (PDF)
• The Phylogeny of Living and Extinct Pangolins (Mammalia, Pholidota) and Associated Taxa: A Morphology Based Analysis (PDF)
• Coronavirus: Revenge of the Pangolins? The New York Times, March 6, 2020.