Asinus is a subgenus of Equus that encompasses several subspecies of the Equidae commonly known as wild asses, characterized by long ears, a lean, straight-backed build, lack of a true withers, a coarse mane and tail, and a reputation for considerable toughness and endurance.
| Asinus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Turkmenian kulan (Equus hemionus kulan) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Perissodactyla |
| Family: | Equidae |
| Genus: | Equus |
| Subgenus: | Asinus Gray, 1824 |
| Type species | |
| Equus hemionus | |
| Species | |
|
Equus africanus | |
| |
| Range of the three living wild ass species | |
The common donkey is the best-known domesticated representative of the subgenus, with both domesticated and feral varieties. Among the wild ass species, several never-domesticated species live in Asia and Africa, with the extinct European wild ass species formerly inhabiting Europe.
Taxonomy
edit- Genus: Equus
- Subgenus: Asinus
- African wild ass, Equus africanus[1][2]
- Nubian wild ass, Equus africanus africanus
- Somali wild ass, Equus africanus somaliensis
- Atlas wild ass, †Equus africanus atlanticus (extinct 1st millienium AD)
- Donkey, Equus africanus asinus
- Onager or Asiatic wild ass, Equus hemionus
- Mongolian wild ass or khulan, Equus hemionus hemionus
- Indian wild ass or khur, Equus hemionus khur
- Turkmenian kulan, Equus hemionus kulan[3]
- Persian onager or gur, Equus hemionus onager
- Syrian wild ass or achdari, †Equus hemionus hemippus (extinct 1927)
- Kiang or Tibetan wild ass, Equus kiang
- Western kiang, Equus kiang kiang
- Eastern kiang, Equus kiang holdereri
- Southern kiang, Equus kiang polyodon
- Northern kiang, Equus kiang chu
- Hydruntine or European wild ass, †Equus hydruntinus (extinct 1st millennium BC)
- African wild ass, Equus africanus[1][2]
- Subgenus: Asinus
Cladogram based on whole nuclear genomes after Özkan et al. 2024.[4]
| Asinus (asses) |
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References
edit- ^ Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder, ed. (2005). "Equus asinus". Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press.
- ^ International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (2003). "Usage of 17 specific names based on wild species which are pre-dated by or contemporary with those based on domestic animals (Lepidoptera, Osteichthyes, Mammalia): conserved. Opinion 2027 (Case 3010)" (Summary). Bull. Zool. Nomencl. 60 (1): 81–kksiss84.
- ^ "Factsheet: Kulan | Common names: Turkmen Kulan, Turkmenian Wild Ass (Horses and Asses (Perissodactyla Equidae) > Equus hemionus > Equus hemionus kulan)". Archived from the original on 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2011-12-10.
- ^ Özkan, Mustafa; Gürün, Kanat; Yüncü, Eren; Vural, Kıvılcım Başak; Atağ, Gözde; Akbaba, Ali; Fidan, Fatma Rabia; Sağlıcan, Ekin; Altınışık, Ezgi N.; Koptekin, Dilek; Pawłowska, Kamilla; Hodder, Ian; Adcock, Sarah E.; Arbuckle, Benjamin S.; Steadman, Sharon R. (July 2024). "The first complete genome of the extinct European wild ass ( Equus hemionus hydruntinus )". Molecular Ecology. 33 (14). doi:10.1111/mec.17440. ISSN 0962-1083.
External links
edit- . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.