Cytochrome-b discriminates civet species: A case study of suspected civets in Tamil Nadu, India

In India, eight civet species have been documented. Among these, the Asian palm civet and the Small Indian civet are most frequently reported in poaching incidents for bushmeat and other purposes. In this study, we examined four processed leg samples (n = 4) seized by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department and suspected to be of civet origin. DNA was extracted and four partial mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b (cyt-b), 12 S ribosomal RNA (12 S rRNA), 16 S ribosomal RNA (16 S rRNA), and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COXI)) were amplified for species identification. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) analysis indicated that cyt-b provided clearer species-level resolution compared to the other genes, which showed ambiguous matches, likely due to limited reference data in the NCBI database. Phylogenetic analysis further confirmed that all samples originated from Paradoxurus jerdoni (brown palm civet). This case study shows that lesser-reported civet species may also be involved in wildlife trade and demonstrates that cyt-b is a practical genetic marker for forensic identification under current database limitations. The findings highlight the need for robust reference databases to improve species discrimination in wildlife forensic investigations and support enforcement efforts.