Bassariscus is a
genus in the
family Procyonidae. There are two species in the genus: the
ring-tailed cat or ringtail (
B. astutus) and the
cacomistle (
B. sumichrasti). Genetic studies have indicated that the closest relatives of
Bassariscus are
raccoons, from which they diverged about 10 million years ago. The two lineages of
Bassariscus are thought to have separated after only another two million years, making it the extant procyonid genus with the earliest diversification.