Manidae ("spirits") is the only extant family of pangolins. 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. !! Current classification:

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  • Family: Manidae <small>(Gray, 1821)</small> (pangolins)
  • Subfamily: Maninae <small>(Gray, 1821)</small> (Asian pangolins)
  • Genus: Manis <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> (Asian pangolin)
  • †Manis hungarica <small>(Kormos, 1934)</small> (Hungarian pangolin)
  • †Manis lydekkeri <small>(Dubois, 1908)</small> (Lydekker's pangolin)
  • †Manis palaeojavanica <small>(Dubois, 1907)</small> (giant Asian pangolin)
  • Subgenus: Manis <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small>
  • Manis crassicaudata <small>(Gray, 1827)</small> (Indian pangolin)
  • Manis pentadactyla <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> (Chinese pangolin)
  • Subgenus: Paramanis <small>(Pocock, 1924)</small> (Southeast Asian pangolin)
  • Manis javanica <small>(Desmarest, 1822)</small> (Sunda pangolin)
  • Manis culionensis <small>(de Elera, 1895)</small> (Philippine pangolin)
  • Genus: †Eomanis <small>(Storch, 1978)</small>
  • †Eomanis krebsi <small>(Storch & Martin, 1994)</small>
  • †Eomanis waldi <small>(Storch, 1978)</small>
  • Genus: †Necromanis <small>(Filhol, 1894)</small>
  • †Necromanis franconica <small>(Quenstedt, 1885)</small>
  • †Necromanis parva <small>(Koenigswald, 1969)</small>
  • †Necromanis quercyi <small>(Filhol, 1894)</small>
  • Genus: †Patriomanis <small>(Emry, 1970)</small>
  • †Patriomanis americana <small>(Emry, 1970)</small>
  • Subfamily: Smutsiinae <small>(Gray, 1873)</small> (African pangolins)
  • Tribe: Smutsiini <small>(Gray, 1873)</small> (large African pangolins)
  • Genus: Smutsia <small>(Gray, 1865)</small> (African ground pangolin)
  • Smutsia gigantea <small>(Illiger, 1815)</small> (giant pangolin)
  • Smutsia temmincki <small>(Smuts, 1832)</small> (ground pangolin)
  • Tribe: Uromanini <small>(McKenna & Bell, 1997)</small> (small African pangolins)
  • Genus: Phataginus <small>(Rafinesque, 1821)</small>
  • Phataginus tricuspis <small>(Rafinesque, 1821)</small> (white-bellied pangolin)
  • Genus: Uromanis <small>(Pocock, 1924)</small>
  • Phataginus tetradactyla <small>(Linnaeus, 1766)</small> (black-bellied pangolin)
  • Genus: †Eurotamandua <small>(Storch, 1981)</small>
  • †Eurotamandua joresi <small>(Storch, 1981)</small>
  • Incertae sedis:
  • †Manidae sp. [DPC 3972 & DPC 4364] <small>(Gebo & Rasmussen, 1985)</small> (Fayum pangolin)

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  • Family: Manidae <small>(Gray, 1821)</small> (pangolins)
  • Subfamily: Maninae <small>(Gray, 1821)</small> (Asian pangolins)
  • Genus: Manis <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> (Asian pangolin)
  • †Manis hungarica <small>(Kormos, 1934)</small> (Hungarian pangolin)
  • (unranked): northern Asian clade
  • Manis indoburmanica <small>(Wangmo, 2025)</small> (Indo Burmese pangolin)
  • Manis pentadactyla <small>(Linnaeus, 1758)</small> (Chinese pangolin)
  • (unranked): southern Asian clade
  • Manis crassicaudata <small>(Gray, 1827)</small> (Indian pangolin)
  • Manis mysteria <small>(Tong-Tong, 2023)</small> (cryptic pangolin)
  • †Manis lydekkeri <small>(Dubois, 1908)</small> (Lydekker's pangolin)
  • Subgenus: Paramanis <small>(Pocock, 1924)</small> (Southeast Asian pangolin)
  • Manis javanica <small>(Desmarest, 1822)</small> (Sunda pangolin)
  • Manis culionensis <small>(de Elera, 1895)</small> (Philippine pangolin)
  • †Manis palaeojavanica <small>(Dubois, 1907)</small> (giant Asian pangolin)
  • (unranked): African clade
  • Subfamily: Phatagininae <small>(Gaubert, 2017)</small> (small African pangolins)
  • Genus: Phataginus <small>(Rafinesque, 1821)</small> (African tree pangolin)
  • Phataginus tetradactyla <small>(Linnaeus, 1766)</small> (black-bellied pangolin)
  • Phataginus tricuspis <small>(Rafinesque, 1821)</small> (white-bellied pangolin)
  • Subfamily: Smutsiinae <small>(Gray, 1873)</small> (large African pangolins)
  • Genus: Smutsia <small>(Gray, 1865)</small> (African ground pangolin)
  • Smutsia gigantea <small>(Illiger, 1815)</small> (giant pangolin)
  • Smutsia temmincki <small>(Smuts, 1832)</small> (ground pangolin)
  • †Smutsia olteniensis <small>(Terhune, 2021)</small> (Oltenian pangolin)
  • Incertae sedis
  • †Manidae sp. [DPC 3972 & DPC 4364] <small>(Gebo & Rasmussen, 1985)</small> (Fayum pangolin)

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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

  • 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.