The Zoochat Photographic Guide To The New Felid Taxonomy

Margay (Leopardus weidii)


Three subspecies recognised.

Southern Margay (Leopardus wiedii wiedii)

This taxon is proposed to cover those South American populations found south of the Amazon, and encompasses the following formerly-recognised subspecies:

L. w. wiedii
L. w. boliviae - photo by @Juancho

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Northern Margay (Leopardus wiedii vigens)

This taxon is proposed to cover those South American populations found north of the Amazon, and encompasses the following formerly-recognised subspecies:

L. w. amazonicus - photo by @Giant Eland

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L. w. vigens


Central American Margay (Leopardus wiedii glauculus)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations in Central America, Mexico and the southern USA, and encompasses the following formerly-recognised subspecies:

L. w. pirrensis
L. w. nicaraguae - photo by @zootiger

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L. w. oaxacensis
L. w. salvinia
L. w. yucatanicus - photo by @TeaLovingDave

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L. w. cooperi
 
Borneo Bay Cat (Catopuma badia)


Deemed monotypic.

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To the best of my knowledge, this is the *only* cat species in the new taxonomy which no Zoochatter has seen..... yet.
 
Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii)


Two subspecies recognised.

Sunda Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii temminckii)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations in Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula.

Photo by @Al

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Mainland Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii moormensis)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations from Nepal to northern Burma, China and mainland south-east Asia, and encompasses the following formerly-recognised subspecies:

Catopuma temminckii dominicanorum - photo by @mhale

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Catopuma temminckii tristis - photo by @ro6ca66

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Catopuma temminckii bainesi
Catopuma temminckii moormensis
 
Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata)


Two subspecies recognised; however, it is noted that further research may be required and that these may comprise two species, one of which may be further divided into two subspecies.

Sunda Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata marmorata)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found throughout Borneo and Sumatra, along with the Malay Peninsula south of the Isthmus of Kra. Further research may demonstrate that this taxon comprises a distinct species, with the Borneo population representing a seperate subspecies from the remainder of the population.

Mainland Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata longicaudata)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found in Nepal south to Assam and Bangladesh, along with southeast Asia north of the Isthmus of Kra.


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As already mentioned, this is the second felid species which has been seen by several Zoochat members, but which as yet remains unrepresented within the gallery in living form.
 
Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis)


Deemed monotypic; this species encompasses the following formerly-recognised subspecies.

Lynx canadensis canadensis
Lynx canadensis mollipilosus
Lynx canadensis subsolanus

Photo by @ro6ca66

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Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx)


Six subspecies recognised.

Northern Lynx (Lynx lynx lynx)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found throughout Fennoscandia and the European part of Russia east to the Yenissei River, and encompasses the following formerly-recognised subspecies:

L. l. lynx - photo by @LaughingDove

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L. l. melinus


Balkan Lynx (Lynx lynx balcanicus)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found throughout the Balkans and Greece.


Carpathian Lynx (Lynx lynx carpathicus)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found throughout eastern and central Europe.

Photo by @Patrick87

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Caucasian Lynx (Lynx lynx dinniki)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found throughout the Caucasus, Asia Minor, Iran and Iraq.

Photo by @alexkant

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Central Asian Lynx (Lynx lynx isabellinus)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found throughout central Asia including the Himalayas and Tibet, and encompasses the following formerly-recognised subspecies:

L. l. kamensis
L. l. isabellinus - photo by @Deer Forest

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Siberian Lynx (Lynx lynx wrangeli)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found throughout northern Asia from the Yenissei River east to China, and encompasses the following formerly-recognised subspecies:

L. l. kozlovi
L. l. neglectus
L. l. wardi - photo by @Maguari

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L. l. wrangeli - photo by @mhale

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Bobcat (Lynx rufus)


Two subspecies recognised, with the exact status of the historical subspecies proposed in Mexico left undetermined at this time.

Eastern Bobcat (Lynx rufus rufus)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found east of the Great Plains, and encompasses the following formerly-recognised subspecies:

L. r. rufus
L. r. superiorensis - photo by @birdsandbats

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L. r. gigas
L. r. floridanus - photo by @Ituri

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Western Bobcat (Lynx rufus fasciatus)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found west of the Great Plains, and encompasses the following formerly-recognised subspecies:

L. r. pallescens - photo by @Ituri

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L. r. baileyi - photo by @Maguari

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L. r. fasciatus
L. r. californicus - photo by @Javan Rhino

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L. r. peninsularis
L. r. texensis - photo by @ThylacineAlive

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The status of bobcats in Mexico (L. r. esquinapae and L. r. oaxacensis) needs to be clarified.
 
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ThylacineAlive said:
I think the tiger updates needs another review :p I also think Leopard ssp need to be reworked.

~Thylo
Click to expand...

I've only had a chance to skim through the proposed revisions, but, yeah, I would take a second look at the tiger updates as well.

Should Asiatic lions really be lumped in with its African cousins?
 
Well, this is an additional perk of my providing as many Zoochatter photographs of various subspecies both accepted and rejected - it means it is a little easier to directly compare various taxa which have been lumped, or indeed split, and notice the strange discrepancies :p
 
As I mentioned on my photo of the animal shown above (but would like to also mention here so the wider community can see), the felid update does indeed list texensis as a synonym of fasciatus, but the range map they give for the new subspecies also shows fasciatus range as beginning much further west than the range of texensis (which is shown as being in rufus range on their map), hence me thinking the animal I saw was a rufus and my continued confusion over yet another North American mammal's taxonomy :p

Perhaps the "subspecies" was based on more geography than anything else and the texensis population actually represents members of both subspecies? The range map does seem to put the division line in the middle of its range. In fact, texensis also includes populations in Mexico that the range map includes as part of the proposed Mexican subspecies... Maybe the range map is just badly done :p

~Thylo
 
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Cougar (Puma concolor)


Two subspecies recognised.

South American Cougar (Puma concolor concolor)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found in South America, possibly excluding those west of the Andes in the north, and encompasses the following formerly-recognised subspecies:

P. c. concolor - photo by @Giant Eland

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P. c. puma - photo by @Animal

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P. c. capricornensis
P. c. cabrerae

North American Cougar (Puma concolor couguar)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found in North and Central America, and possibly those in northern South America west of the Andes, and encompasses the following formerly-recognised subspecies:

P. c. arundivaga
P. c. aztecus
P. c. browni
P. c. californica
P. c. coryi - photo by @JaxElephant

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P. c. floridana
P. c. hippolestes
P. c. improcera
P. c. kaibabensis
P. c. mayensis
P. c. missoulensis- photo by @Eagle

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P. c. olympus
P. c. oregonensis
P. c. schorgeri
P. c. stanleyana
P. c. vancouverensis
P. c. youngi
P. c. couguar
P. c. costaricensis
 
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Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)


Four subspecies recognised.

South African Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found in southern and eastern Africa.

A. j. raineyi
A. j. jubatus - photo by @lion250

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Sudan Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found in north-east Africa.

Photo by @gentle lemur

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Asiatic Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found in southwest Asia and historically India.

Photo by @fofo

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Saharan Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus hecki)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found in western and northern Africa.
 
Jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi)


Deemed monotypic, encompassing the following formerly-recognised subspecies:

Herpailurus yagouaroundi yagouaroundi
Herpailurus yagouaroundi ameghinoi
Herpailurus yagouaroundi cacomitli
Herpailurus yagouaroundi eyra
Herpailurus yagouaroundi fossata
Herpailurus yagouaroundi melantho
Herpailurus yagouaroundi panamensis
Herpailurus yagouaroundi tolteca

Photo by @ro6ca66

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Mainland Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)


Two subspecies recognised.

South Asian Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis bengalensis)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found in south Asia from Pakistan to China, south to Indochina and the Malay Peninsula, and encompasses the following formerly-recognised subspecies:

P. b. bengalensis - photo by @TeaLovingDave

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P. b. horsfieldii - photo by @Chlidonias

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P. b. alleni
P. b. chinensis - photo by @baboon

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P. b. trevelyani

Amur Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found in Manchuria, the Russian Far East, Taiwan, Iriomote Island and Tsushima Island, and encompasses the following formerly-recognised subspecies:

P. b. euptilurus - photo by @TeaLovingDave

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P. b. iriomotensis
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Amur Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found in Manchuria, the Russian Far East, Taiwan, Iriomote Island and Tsushima Island, and encompasses the following formerly-recognised subspecies:

P. b. euptilurus
P. b. iriomotensis
Click to expand...

The Iriomote Cat has fallen from grace: it was treated as a full (if poorly known) species when I first learned about felid taxonomy.
 
robmv said:
The Iriomote Cat has fallen from grace: it was treated as a full (if poorly known) species when I first learned about felid taxonomy.
Click to expand...

Belonging to an entirely different genus at that :p

Put it this way - this new taxonomic reassessment has a fair few aspects which merit serious doubt, and relegating the Iriomote Cat to a synonym for Amur Leopard Cat is one, as is suggesting that the Iriomote Cat is a human introduction to the island.... especially given the fact the text of the reassessment also says that the Iriomote Cat diverged genetically from the mainland population between 100,000 to 200,000 years ago.

So presuming the lumping is correct, the Iriomote Cat last shared a common ancestor with the mainland population a long, LONG time before Homo sapiens reached Japan, but somehow remained distinct on the mainland for thousands upon thousands of years until man introduced it to Japan yet not distinct enough to merit being classified as a distinct subspecies :P I reckon this is another example of the logic behind lumping all mainland tigers - the authors of this taxonomic reassessment didn't want to grant the Sumatran Tiger full species status, but the only way to maintain monophyly if it was kept as a subspecies was to lump all mainland tigers into a single subspecies. Similarly, I suspect the authors didn't want to over-split the Leopard Cat sensu lato, and hence having split the Sunda populations already didn't want to split the Amur population too.... but keeping Amur as a subspecies required lumping Iriomote Cat into it.
 
Sunda Leopard Cat (Prionailurus javanensis)


Two subspecies recognised.

Javan Leopard Cat (Prionailurus javanensis javanensis)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found in Java and Bali.

Photo by @FunkyGibbon

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Sumatran Leopard Cat (Prionailurus javanensis sumatranus)

This taxon is proposed to cover those populations found in Sumatra and Borneo, along with those on Palawan, Negros, Cebu and Panay in the Philippines, and encompasses the following formerly-recognised subspecies:

Prionailurus javanensis sumatranus
Prionailurus javanensis borneoensis - photo by @Chlidonias

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Prionailurus javanensis heaneyi - photo by @TeaLovingDave

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Prionailurus javanensis rabori - photo by @alexkant

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