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| Khorozyan, I.G.; Gennady, F.; Baryshnikov, G.F.; Abramov, A.V. | |
| Taxonomic status of the leopard, _Panthera pardus _(Carnivora, Felidae) in the Caucasus and adjacent areas | |
| 2006 Russian Journal of Theriology (5): 41-52 | |
Nine subspecies names have been designated for the leopard in the Middle East: Arabian or South Arabian _Panthera pardus nimr_ (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833); Anatolian or Asia Minor _P. p. tulliana_ (Valenciennes, 1856), Caucasian _P. p. ciscaucasica_ (Satunin, 1914); Persian or North Persian _P.p. saxicolor_ Pocock, 1927; Sind or Baluchistan _P.p. sindica_ Pocock, 1930; Kashmir _P.p. millardi_ Pocock, 1930; Sinai _P.p. jarvisi_ Pocock 1032; Central Persian _P.p. dathei_ Zukowsky, 1959 and South Caucasian _P.p. transcaucasica_ Zukowsky, 1964. We have measured or retrieved data from literature on 24 characters and 3 indices of 40 leopards skulls originated from this region. We used multiple discriminate analysis to separate 7 groups from North Caucasus, South Caucasus, Turkmenistan, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan and Arabia with over 90% probabilities of correct group membership. Five scenarios of grouping were obtained which have shown the identity of the leopard from the Caucasian and Turkmenistan and their possible identity with individuals from northern Iran, closeness of the leopards from southern Iran and Pakistan and from Turkey and Sinai Peninsula, and clear distinctiveness of the leopard from Arabia and Turkey from all other groups. In compliance with criteria of priority in zoological nomenclature, we suggest to retain the names _P.p. ciscaucasica_ (= _saxicolor_, _transcaucasica_) for the Caucasus,, Turkmenistan and northern Iran, P_.p tulliana_ for south-western Turkey, _P.p sindica_ (=_dathei_) for southern Iran and southern Pakistan and _P.p. nimr_ for Arabian Peninsula. The subspecies_ P.p. millardi _ois probably synonymous of_ P.p. jarvisi_ should be verified by comparison with nominotypical _P.p.pardus_ from Egypt. |
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