Comparative genomics of 12S and 16S rRNAs, cytochrome b (Cyt b) and the control region (CR) of mtDNA genome are commonly used in phylogenetics and wildlife forensics. We document the genetic characteristics and sequence variations of 12S rRNA (384 bp) in Indian civets, viz., the common palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) (n=9), small Indian civet (Viverricula indica) (n=7) and Himalayan palm civet (Paguma larvata) (n=5). The nucleotide compositions vary from 17.6% to 36.3%, and found one to two haplotypes in all three civet species. Observed sequence divergence was 0.001 to 0.002 and 0.057 to 0.110 within and between species respectively. The nucleotide diversity was 0.00102 to 0.00184. Tajima's D value was negative (-0.097256 to -1.36240) but statistically non-significant in all three species. Based on genetic characteristics, we discuss the use of observed forensically informative nucleotide sequencing (FINS) and topology in species identification for forensic purposes among these three civet species.

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