| Pardofelis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Illustration ofCatolynx marmoratus[1] | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Feliformia |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Subfamily: | Felinae |
| Genus: | Pardofelis Severtzov, 1858 |
| Species | |
 | |
| Marbled cat range | |
Pardofelis is agenus of the cat familyFelidae.[2] This genus is defined as including onespecies native toSoutheast Asia: themarbled cat.[3] Two other species, formerly classified to this genus, now belong to the genusCatopuma.
The wordpardofelis is composed of theLatin wordspardus (pard), andfelis (cat) in allusion to the spots of thetype species, themarbled cat.[4]
Pardofelis was first proposed by the Russian explorer and naturalistNikolai Severtzov in 1858 asgeneric name comprising a singlefelid species occurring intropicalAsia, the marbled catPardofelis marmorata.[5]The British zoologistReginald Innes Pocock recognized thetaxonomic classification ofPardofelis in 1917 as comprising not only the marbled cat but also the Borneo bay catPardofelis badia, because of similarities in the shape of theirskulls.[2] In 1939, he describedPardofelis marmorata on the basis of skins and skulls which originated inJava,Sumatra,Darjeeling andSikkim.[6]
Until 2006, the classification ofPardofelis as amonotypic genus was widely accepted.[7]Genetic analysis carried out at the turn of the century revealed a close genetic relationship with the Borneo bay catPardofelis badia and the Asian golden catPardofelis temminckii. All of them diverged from the other felids about9.4 million years ago, and have therefore been proposed to be placed in the genusPardofelis.[3] Meanwhile,Pardofelis is considered asynonym ofCatopuma.[8][9]
The relationship between this branch and others on the feline family tree has also become clearer.Pardofelis species do not stem from thePantherinae subfamily but belong to the other main branch of mostly smaller cat species, theFelinae. They share a more recent common ancestor withservals,caracals, andAfrican golden cats than with any other existing cat genus.[3][10][11]
Pardofelis are small long-tailed, short-headed cats with rounded ears, distinguishable fromPrionailurus and related Oriental genera by having the skull higher and more rounded, with the mesopterygoidfossa lanceolate in front and provided with thickened margins or a better developed external crest.[2] The skull is short, broad, strongly convex in dorsal profile, not comparatively long and low. The nasal branch of thepremaxilla is thin, not expanded, the summit of the muzzle is not compressed above, themaxilla is not expanded where it abuts against thenasal bone, and develops no excrescence outside the suborbitalforamen.[6]
Authority control databases: National |
|---|