IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
| Werdelin, L. | |
| The Evolution and Interrelationships of Felids | |
| 2007 Conference Proceeding | |
Felids originated in the Oligocene or late Eocene and have an extensive if patchy fossil record. Their nearest living relative is thought to be the Asiatic linsang, with an estimated divergence time of ca. 33 Ma. This predates the earliest known felids in the fossil record. The major radiation of felids begins in the early Miocene with the genus _Pseudaelurus_. Unfortunately, the interrelationships between different species of _Pseudaelurus_ and between it and later, more derived felids are very poorly known. By the late Middle Miocene two major clades of felids had evolved: the Felinae or conical-toothed cats and the Machairodontinae or saber-tooth cats. These two clades are often portrayed as highly divergent in morphology and killing behavior. Machairodont cats span a wide range of morphologies, with some convergent on Felinae. In the Pliocene, Machairodonts split into two clades, the Smilodontini and the Homotheriini. Both clades became globally extinct near the end of the Pleistocene. The fossil record of conical-toothed cats is poor and difficult to relate definitively to living genera and species. The interrelationships of living cats have also proven to be a formidable problem due to the very rapid bursts of speciation characterizing the subclades. However, recent analyses indicate the presence of eight subclades, of which the pantherine lineage (genera _Panthera _and _Neofelis_) was the first to branch off and the domestic cat lineage (genus _Felis_) the last. There remain large discrepancies between this phylogeny, based on molecular data, and the fossil record. My lecture will end by suggesting some possible means of addressing this issue, which is the current major obstacle to a fuller understanding of the evolution of felids. |
|
 |
PDF files are only accessible to Friends of the Cat Group. Joining Friends of the Cat Group gives you unlimited access and downloads in the Cat SG Library for one year, and allows you to receive our newsletter Cat News (2 regular issues per year plus special issues). More information how to join here |
(c) IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group ( IUCN - The World Conservation Union) |