IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| do Nascimento, F.O. | |
| RevisÆo taxon“mica do gˆnero _Leopardus_ Gray, 1842 (Carnivora, Felidae) | |
| 2010 Full Book | |
_Leopardus_ Gray, 1842 has a wide geographic range in the Neotropical region and in the southern portion of the Neartic Region, occurring from the southernmost part of the United States throughout South America to Patagonia. To the present time eight species are recognized for this genus and, as for the majority of species of medium to large size mammals, the Neotropical cats of the genus _Leopardus_ is often associated to a stable taxonomy; nevertheless a high morphological variation throughout its distributional range is evident. Despite the efforts to elucidate the taxonomy of the genus _Leopardus_ by different authors along many decades, there are disagreements in recognizing the number of taxa at generic and specific levels, what has originated an extensive diversity of taxonomical schemes. Aiming to characterize the taxa in its morphological and morphometric aspects; to describe intra and interspecific variation; to establish the distributional range of each recognized species; to provide a synonym and to attribute valid names that can be assigned to the species I analyzed 591 specimens of _Leopardus_ deposited in several scientific collections in Brazil and abroad. I checked 29 cranial measurements and analyzed 14 morphological traits. In order to investigate inter and intraspecific variations; the existence of sexual dimorphism and geographical divergence, I submitted cranial and morphological data to uni and multivariate statistic tests. From the gathered data I recognized 16 valid species for the genus _Leopardus_. I elevated all four subspecies of _Leopardus tigrinus_ to species level (_Leopardus tigrinus, L. guttulus, L. oncilla, L. pardinoides_); for _L. pajeros_ I defined as valid the species _L. pajeros, L. budini, L. garleppi_, and for _L. braccatus_ I considered the subspecies _L. bracattus munoai_ as a full species - _L. munoai_. _Leopardus pardalis_ is restricted to Nicaragua and north from it and has a mainly grayish pelage, whereas the southern species herein named _Leopardus mittis_ presents a yellowish brown shade. In this taxonomical arrangement six species can be found in the Brazilian territory (_L. mittis, L. tigrinus, L. wiedii, L. guttulus, L. geoffroyi, L. braccatus_). |
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