| Prionailurus[1] Temporal range:Pleistocene - Recent | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prionailurus species from top-left clockwise:Leopard cat (P. bengalensis),Sunda leopard cat (P. javanensis),flat-headed cat (P. planiceps),fishing cat (P. viverrinus) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Subfamily: | Felinae |
| Genus: | Prionailurus Severtzov, 1858 |
| Type species | |
| Felis pardachrous | |
| Species | |
See text | |
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| Prionailurus ranges | |
Prionailurus is agenus of spotted,small wild cats native toAsia.[2][3] Forests are their preferred habitat; they feed on small mammals, reptiles and birds, and occasionallyaquatic wildlife.[4]
Prionailurus was first proposed by the Russian explorer and naturalistNikolai Severtzov in 1858 as ageneric name for a singlefelid occurring intropicalAsia, namelyFelis pardachrous described byBrian Houghton Hodgson — theleopard cat. As varieties, Severtzov listsFelis nipalensis described byThomas Horsfield andNicholas Aylward Vigors,Leopardus Elliotti,Leopardus Horsfieldi andLeopardus chinensis described byJohn Edward Gray, andFelis bengalensis described byAnselme Gaëtan Desmarest.[5]
The British zoologistReginald Innes Pocock recognized thetaxonomic classification ofPrionailurus in 1917. In 1939, he described the genus on the basis of skins andskulls, and compared these to body parts ofFelis. Pocock classified the leopard cat, rusty-spotted cat and fishing cat as belonging to the genusPrionailurus.[2]
Pocock's classification ofPrionailurus has been widely accepted, with five species now recognised:[6]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leopard cat
| Prionailurus bengalensis[7] (Kerr, 1792) Two subspecies
| continental South, Southeast and East Asia. | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Sunda leopard cat
| Prionailurus javanensis[8] (Desmarest, 1816) Two subspecies
| Sundaland islands of Java, Bali, Borneo, Sumatra and the Philippines | Size: Habitat: Diet: | |
| Flat-headed cat
| Prionailurus planiceps[9] (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827) | Thai-Malay Peninsula, Borneo and Sumatra. | Size: Habitat: Diet: | EN |
| Fishing cat
| Prionailurus viverrinus[10] (Bennett, 1833) | South and Southeast Asia | Size: Habitat: Diet: | VU |
| Rusty-spotted cat
| Prionailurus rubiginosus[11] (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1834) | Nepal, India and Sri Lanka | Size: Habitat: Diet: | NT |
| Prionailurus kurteni | Prionailurus kurteni Jiangzuo et al., 2024 | Anhui, China | Size: Habitat: Diet: | Fossil species |
The fossil speciesPrionailurus kurteni was found inPleistocene deposits of China.[12]
Molecular analysis of leopard cat populations indicates a clear distinction between northern populations fromTsushima,Korea,Siberia,China andTaiwan and Southeast Asian populations. If these genetic differences indicate a specific distinction,P. b. euptilurus may yet be a valid species.[13]TheIriomote cat (P. bengalensis iriomotensis) has been proposed as a distinct species based onmorphology, but is considered asubspecies ofP. bengalensis based ongenetic analysis.[14]
Phylogenetic analysis of thenuclear DNA in tissue samples from all Felidae species revealed that theevolutionary radiation of the Felidae began in Asia in theMiocene around14.45 to 8.38 million years ago.[3][15] Analysis ofmitochondrial DNA of all Felidae species indicates a radiation at around16.76 to 6.46 million years ago.[16]Both models agree in the rusty-spotted cat having been the first cat of thePrionailuruslineage thatgenetically diverged, followed by the flat-headed cat and then the fishing cat.[3][16] It is estimated to have diverged together with the leopard cat between4.31 to 1.74 million years ago[3] and4.25 to 0.02 million years ago.[16]
The followingcladogram shows their phylogenetic relationship as derived through analysis of nuclear DNA:[3][15]
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