Galidictis is a genus in the subfamily Galidiinae of the family Eupleridae: a group of carnivorans that are endemic to Madagascar.
The name is from two ancient Greek words that both approximately mean ‘weasel’: galid- (see Galidia) and iktis.Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary attributes it to "NL, fr. Gk galideus young weasel + iktis yellow-breasted marten [an ambiguous common name that might be the weasel]." However, Lewis and Short describes ictis () as simply "a kind of weasel". Brill's New Pauly likewise also writes that "/ may be a weasel". Compare the word Galictis (grison, a closer relative of the weasel).
It contains the following two species and two subspecies:
Image Scientific name Subspecies Common name Distribution Galidictis fasciata Galidictis fasciata fasciata Galidictis fasciata striatus Broad-striped Malagasy mongoose Madagascar Galidictis grandidieri Grandidier's mongoose Madagascar
References