Editing European mink (section)

==Evolution and taxonomy==
Fossil finds of the European mink are very rare, thus indicating the species is either a relative newcomer to Europe, probably having originated in [[North America]],<ref name="k98">{{Harvnb|Kurtén|1968|p=98}}</ref> or a recent [[speciation]] caused by hybridization. It likely first arose in the [[Middle Pleistocene]], with several fossils in Europe dated to the [[Late Pleistocene]] being found in caves and some suggesting early exploitation by humans. Genetic analyses indicate, rather than being closely related to the American mink, the European mink's closest relative is the European polecat (perhaps due to past hybridization)<ref name="dna">Davidson, A., Griffith, H. I., Brookes, R. C., Maran, T., MacDonald, D. W., Sidorovich, V. E., Kitchener, A. C., Irizar, I., Villate, I., Gonzales-Esteban, J., Cena, A., Moya, I. and Palazon Minano, S. 2000. [http://www.lutreola.ee/pdf/emink-dna.pdf ''Mitochondrial DNA and paleontological evidence for the origin of endangered European mink'', Mustela lutreola] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720125316/http://www.lutreola.ee/pdf/emink-dna.pdf |date=20 July 2011 }}. Animal Conservation 3: 345–357.</ref> and the Siberian weasel,<ref name="PhylogenyEvolutionary" /> being intermediate in form between true polecats and other members of the genus. The closeness between the mink and polecat is emphasized by the fact the species can hybridize.<ref name="s1086">{{Harvnb|Heptner|Sludskii|2002|pp=1086–1088}}</ref><ref name="sidorovich"/><ref name="tumanov"/>

===Subspecies===
{{As of|2005}},<ref>{{MSW3 Wozencraft | pages = | id =14001428}}</ref> seven subspecies are recognised.

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" width=80% font=90%
|- bgcolor="#115a6c"
!Subspecies
!Trinomial authority
!Description
!Range
!Synonyms
|----
|'''Northern mink'''<br>''M. l. lutreola''
([[Nominate subspecies]])
|Linnaeus, 1758
|The pelt is dark brownish-chestnut or dark brown with a diffuse broad belt on the back. The tail tip is black and the underfur is dark bluish-grey. The overall pelage is long, compact and silky. Adult males measure {{convert|365|–|380|mm|in|abbr=on}} in body length and have a tail length of {{convert|36|–|42|mm|in|abbr=on}} (38% of its body length).<ref name="s1095">{{Harvnb|Heptner|Sludskii|2002|p=1095}}</ref>
|Northern [[European Russia]] and [[Finland]]
|<small>''alba'' (de Sélys Longchamps, 1839)</small><br>
<small>''alpinus'' (Ogérien, 1863)</small><br>
<small>''europeae'' (Homeyer, 1879)</small><br>
<small>''fulva'' (Kerr, 1792)</small><br>
<small>''minor'' (Erxleben, 1777)</small><br>
<small>''wyborgensis'' (Barrett-Hamilton, 1904)</small><br>
|----
|'''French mink'''<br>''M. l. biedermanni''
|Matschie, 1912
|
|[[France]]
|<small>''armorica'' (Matschie, 1912)</small>
|----
|''M. l. binominata''
|Ellerman and Morrison-Scott, 1951
|
|
|<small>''caucasica'' (Novikov, 1939)</small>
|----
|'''Middle European mink'''<br>''M. l. cylipena''
|Matschie, 1912
|A very large subspecies, it is only slightly smaller than ''M. l. turovi''. The fur is quite dark and corresponds to the colour of ''M. l. novikovi''. Adult males measure {{convert|420|–|430|mm|in|abbr=on}} in length, while females measure {{convert|370|–|400|mm|in|abbr=on}}. Tail length in males is {{convert|160|mm|in|abbr=on}}, while in females it is {{convert|140|–|180|mm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name="s1098">{{Harvnb|Heptner|Sludskii|2002|p=1098}}</ref>
|The [[Kaliningrad Oblast]], [[Lithuania]], western [[Latvia]], middle Europe (except the extreme west ([[France]]), [[Hungary]], [[Romania]], the [[former Yugoslavia]] and [[Poland]])
|<small>''albica'' (Matschie, 1912)</small><br>
<small>''budina'' (Matschie, 1912)</small><br>
<small>''glogeri'' (Matschie, 1912)</small><br>
<small>''varina'' (Matschie, 1912)</small>
|----
|'''Middle Russian mink'''<br>''M. l. novikovi''
|Ellerman and Morrison-Scott, 1951
|A moderately-sized subspecies, it is slightly larger than ''M. l. lutreola''. It is lighter-coloured than ''M. l. lutreola'', being dark tawny or dark brown with a film of light reddish highlights. The dark belt on the back is weakly defined or absent. The pelage is overall shorter, less dense and less silky than ''M. l. lutreola''. Adult males measure {{convert|360|–|420|mm|in|abbr=on}} in body length.<ref name="s1096">{{Harvnb|Heptner|Sludskii|2002|pp=1096–1097}}</ref>
|The middle zone of the European part of the [[former Soviet Union]] ([[Estonia]], eastern [[Latvia]], [[Belarus]], eastern [[Ukraine]], and the lower [[Don River (Russia)|Don]] and lower [[Volga]] regions)
|<small>''borealis'' (Novikov, 1939)</small>
|----
|'''Carpathian mink'''<br>''Mustela l. transsylvanica''
[[File:Mustela lutreola.png|150 px]]
|Éhik, 1932
|Smaller than ''M. l. turovi'', with dark tawny fur<ref name="s1099">{{Harvnb|Heptner|Sludskii|2002|p=1099}}</ref>
|[[Moldavia]], Romania, Hungary, [[Bulgaria]] and the former Yugoslavia
|<small>''ehiki'' (Kretzoi, 1942)</small><br>
<small>''hungarica'' (Éhik, 1932)</small>
|----
|'''Caucasian mink'''<br>''M. l. turovi''
|Kuznetsov in Novikov, 1939
|A large-sized subspecies, it has quite long, but sparse and coarse pelage and less compact underfur. The fur is light tawny or light brown with clear rusty highlights. The underfur is light bluish-grey. White chest markings are much more frequent in this subspecies than in others. The ends of the limbs are often white. Adult males usually measure more than {{convert|42|cm|in|abbr=on}} long.<ref name="s1096"/>
|The [[Caucasus]], the lower Don and lower Volga regions, probably eastern [[Ukraine]]
|
|----
|}