Promephitis is a widespread late Tertiary Eurasian skunk in the family Mephitidae (Carnivora, Musteloidea), but many of the currently-recognized nine species were established on isolated dental material. Recent discoveries of Promephitis comprised of numerous nearly perfectly preserved skulls and jaws from Gansu Province, China, together with material from other Chinese localities plus unpublished material in the Frick Collection, make the Chinese record of Promephitis unrivaled in terms of quality, quantity, and species diversity.

Four species of Promephitis are present in the Baodean land mammal age of East Asia: Promephitis parvus, sp. nov., from Hezheng region of Gansu Province; Promephitis qinensis, sp nov., from Fugu area of Shaanxi Province; Promephitis hootoni, the most common Chinese species; and Promephitis alexejewi from the terminal Miocene locality of Ertemte, which is still poorly known. Promephitis parvus represents the smallest known species of the genus and is also the most primitive in cranial and dental morphologies. Promephitis qinensis is a transitional form that may have given rise to P. hootoni. If so, the Turkish occurrence of P. hootoni must be the result of westward expansion of its range.