A revised taxonomy of the Felidae.

The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group.

Cat News Special Issue 11, 80 pp, mit Farbfotos und Verbreitungskarten. ISSN 1027-2992.

Volltext: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316880566_A_revised_taxonomy_of_the_Felidae_The_final_report_of_the_Cat_Classification_Task_Force_of_the_IUCNSSC_Cat_Specialist_Group

Executive summary:

  1. The current classification of the Felidae was reviewed by a panel of 22 experts divided into core, expert and review groups, which make up the Cat Classification Task Force CCTF of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group.
  2. The principal aim of the CCTF was to produce a consensus on a revised classification of the Felidae for use by the IUCN.
  3. Based on current published research, the CCTF has fully revised the classification of the Felidae at the level of genus, species and subspecies.
  4. A  novel  traffic-light  system  was  developed  to  indicate  certainty  of  each  taxon  based  on  morphological,  molecular,  biogeographical  and  other  evidence.  A  concordance  of  good  evidence  in  the  three  principal  categories was required to strongly support the acceptance of a taxon.
  5. Where disagreements exist among members of the CCTF, these have been highlighted in the accounts for each species. Only further research will be able to answer the potential conflicts in existing data.
  6. A total of 14 genera, 41 species and 77 subspecies is recognised by most members of the CCTF, which is a  considerable  change  from  the  classification  proposed  by  Wozencraft  (2005),  the  last  major  revision  of  the  Felidae.
  7. Future areas of taxonomic research have been highlighted in order to answer current areas of uncertainty.8.  This  classification  of  the  Felidae  will  be  reviewed  every  five  years  unless  a  major  new  piece  of  research  requires a more rapid revision for the conservation benefit of felid species at risk of extinction.

kitchener-biblio

Freigegeben in K

Multi-locus analyses reveal four giraffe species instead of one.

Current Biology 26 (18): 2543-2549.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.036

Summary:

Traditionally, one giraffe species and up to eleven subspecies have been recognized; however, nine subspecies are commonly accepted. Even after a century of research, the distinctness of each giraffe subspecies remains unclear, and the genetic variation across their distribution range has been incompletely explored. Recent genetic studies on mtDNA have shown reciprocal monophyly of the matrilines among seven of the nine assumed subspecies. Moreover, until now, genetic analyses have not been applied to biparentally inherited sequence data and did not include data from all nine giraffe subspecies. We sampled natural giraffe populations from across their range in Africa, and for the first time individuals from the nominate subspecies, the Nubian giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis Linnaeus 1758 , were included in a genetic analysis. Coalescence-based multi-locus and population genetic analyses identify at least four separate and monophyletic clades, which should be recognized as four distinct giraffe species under the genetic isolation criterion. Analyses of 190 individuals from maternal and biparental markers support these findings and further suggest subsuming Rothschild’s giraffe into the Nubian giraffe, as well as Thornicroft’s giraffe into the Masai giraffe . A giraffe survey genome produced valuable data from microsatellites, mobile genetic elements, and accurate divergence time estimates. Our findings provide the most inclusive analysis of giraffe relationships to date and show that their genetic complexity has been underestimated, highlighting the need for greater conservation efforts for the world’s tallest mammal.

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First insights into past biodiversity of giraffes based on mitochondrial sequences from museum specimens.

European Journal of Taxonomy 703: 1–33. ISSN 2118-9773. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2020.703

Volltext (PDF)

Abstract:

Intensified exploration of sub-Saharan Africa during the 18th and 19th centuries led to many newly described giraffe subspecies. Several populations described at that time are now extinct, which is problematic for a full understanding of giraffe taxonomy. In this study, we provide mitochondrial sequences for 41 giraffes, including 19 museum specimens of high importance to resolve giraffe taxonomy, such as Zarafa from Sennar and two giraffes from Abyssinia (subspecies camelopardalis), three of the first southern individuals collected by Levaillant and Delalande (subspecies capensis), topotypes of the former subspecies congoensis and cottoni, and giraffes from an extinct population in Senegal. Our phylogeographic analysis shows that no representative of the nominate subspecies camelopardalis was included in previous molecular studies, as Zarafa and two other specimens assigned to this taxon are characterized by a divergent haplogroup, that the former subspecies congoensis and cottoni should be treated as synonyms of antiquorum, and that the subspecies angolensis and capensis should be synonymized with giraffa, whereas the subspecies wardi should be rehabilitated. In addition, we found evidence for the existence of a previously unknown subspecies from Senegal (newly described in this study), which is now extinct. Based on these results, we propose a new classification of giraffes recognizing three species and 10 subspecies. According to our molecular dating estimates, the divergence among these taxa has been promoted by Pleistocene climatic changes resulting in either savannah expansion or the development of hydrographical networks (Zambezi, Nile, Lake Chad, Lake Victoria).

petzold-biblio

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Dienstag, 10 November 2020 17:38

POCOCK, R. I. (1939)

The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. 

Mammals Vol. 1:Prmates and Carnivora (in part), Families Felidae and Viverridae

Genus Prionailurus Severtzow: pp. 265–284.

Taylor & Francis Ltd. Publishers, London.

Volltext: https://archive.org/stream/PocockMammalia1/pocock1#page/n339/mode/2up

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Samstag, 17 Oktober 2020 07:59

VIGORS, N. A. (1828)

The Zoological Journal Vol. III
From January, 1827, To April 1828.

London.

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/87903#page/168/mode/1up

Der Verweis auf den Afrikanischen Elefanten findet sich in einem Artikel auf den Seiten 140-143 über die Lieferungen 52 und 53 von GEOFFROY SAINT-HILAIREs und F. CUVIERs "Histoire Naturelle des Mammifères, avec des Figures originales, dessinées d'après des Animaux vivans".

Weshalb die Besprechung im Journal und nicht die Originalarbeit als Referenz für den Gattungsnamen Loxodonta gewählt wurden, hat der informationsanbieter bisland nicht herausgefunden.

vigors-biblio

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Mittwoch, 30 September 2020 13:50

MESCHKE, T. (2020)

Klippschliefer- vielfältige Einheitlichkeit oder einheitliche Vielfältigkeit.

ELIOMYS 2/2020: 4-29.

Aus der Zusammenfassung:

Viele Fragen ergeben sich im Hinblick auf das Verbreitungsgebiet des Klippschliefers. Ungeklärt ist die Situation im Südsudan, wo die Unterarten ruficeps, marrensis, butleri, slatini, kerstingi und sharica möglicherweise aufeinander treffen. Klärungsbedarf besteht auch hinsichtlich der Formen habessinica und alpini und ihrer angrenzenden Unterarten wie minor, pallida, butleri und meneliki in Bezug auf die tatsächliche Färbung ihres Rückenflecks und ihre jeweiligen Verbreitungsgrenzen. Außerdem stellt sich die Frage, ob in Süd-Somlia überhaupt Klippschliefer vorkommen. Viele Unterarten und Formen (vor allem aus dem Sudan und Westafrika) sind nur von ganz wenigen Exemplaren bekannt, sodass neues Material aus diesen Regionen einige Fragen beantworten könnte. Die Verbreitungskarten einiger Autoren weisen außerdem keine Verbreitungslücke zwischen Nord-Tansania und Süd-Malawi auf, was ebenfalls weiterer Nachforschungen bedarf. Allerdings ist das Verbreitungsgebiet  wahrscheinlich viel lückenhafter und nicht so kontinuierlich, wie es oft dargestellt wird.

Anhand der btrachteten Felle und von Literaturbeschriebungen stellt der Autor einen eigenen Ansatz zur Systematik der Klippschliefer dar.

meschke-biblio

Freigegeben in M

The type locality of Pan troglodytes vellerosus (Gray, 1862), and implications for the nomenclature of West African chimpanzees.

Primates. DOI 10.1007/s10329-008-0116-z

Abstract

We  show  that,  in  1862,  Richard  Burton  collected the type specimen of Pan troglodytes vellerosus not on Mount Cameroon, as has been generally assumed, but in Gabon. Therefore, P. t. vellerosus is not the correct name for  the  chimpanzee  population  of  western  Cameroon  and southern  Nigeria,  if  that  population  is  taxonomically  distinct. As First Reviser, we choose the name Pan troglodytes ellioti for   this   population   of   chimpanzees,   based   on Anthropopithecus  ellioti named  by  Matschie  [Matschie , P. (1914)   Neue   Affen   aus   Mittelafrika.  Sitzungsber.  Ges. Naturforsch.  Freunde  Berlin  1914: 323–342]  from  a  specimen in the Humboldt Museum, Berlin, collected in Bascho (=Basho), Cameroon, and given to the museum in 1905.

oates-biblio

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Samstag, 12 September 2020 12:48

LAVILLA, E. O. & BRUSQUETTI, F. (2018)

On the identity of Bufo diptychus Cope, 1862 (Anura: Bufonidae).

Zootaxa 4442 (1): 161
ISSN 1175-5326 (Print Edition) & ISSN 1175-5334 (Online Edition)

Abstract:

The enigmatic toad Bufo diptychus was described by Cope (1862) based on a single individual (USNM 5841, now lost) of about 25 mm of SVL, collected during the expedition to La Plata River and tributaries, conducted by Captain Page between 1853 and 1856. As no dwarf species of toad was ever recorded in the surveyed area, and based on some tips that arise from Page’s narrative, we postulate that the description was based on a toadlet. With this hypothesis in mind, we compared Cope’s characterization of B. diptychus with juveniles of all species of Rhinella present in the region, finding an exact match in almost all characters shown by the juveniles of the common “cururú” or “rococo” toad, Rhinella schneideri (Werner 1894). Henceforth, we postulate that R. schneideri is a junior synonym of B. diptychus, under the combination Rhinella diptycha (Cope 1862).

lavilla-biblio

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Dienstag, 01 September 2020 09:01

LARROUSSE, F. (1924)

Description de la femelle de Triatoma maxima (Uhler, 1894).

Ann. Parasitol. Hum. Comp., 1924, 2 : n° 3, 207–210.
https://doi.org/10.1051/parasite/1924023207

Zusammenfassung:

Dans cette courte note, nous décrivons la femelle de Triatoma maxima (Uhler, 1894). Ce Triatoma, qui est la plus grande espèce actuellement connue, est caractérisé par sa couleur noire brillante ; son connexivum très épais, bordé de rouge et par des touffes de poils couleur ocre à l'apex des tibias et sur les tarses.

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Samstag, 22 August 2020 10:21

PERGER, R. & WALL, A. (2014)

The description of a new species of the Neotropical land crab genus Gecarcinus Leach, 1814 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Gecarcinidae).

Zookeys. 2014; (435): 93–109. Published online 2014 Aug 18. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.435.7271

Abstract:

In this contribution a new species of the land crab genus Gecarcinus Leach, 1814, from the Neotropical Pacific coast of South America is described and illustrated. In addition to its unique body color, Gecarcinus nobilii sp. n. is distinguished from congeners by a distinctly wider carapace front and differences in the shape of the infraorbital margin. The new species is not isolated from Gecarcinus populations from the Pacific coast of Central America by an insurmountable geographic barrier. Considering the closure of the Panamanian Isthmus as a calibration point for morphological divergence between the trans-isthmian mainland populations of Gecarcinus, the virtual lack of morphological differentiation (other than color) between them and the distinctness of G. nobilii sp. n. suggests that G. nobilii sp. n. evolved from a common ancestor before the Isthmus closed.

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