Iriomote cat

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Iriomote cat, specimen in the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Tokyo.

The Iriomote cat is a feral cat native to the Japanese island of Iriomote , the southernmost of the Ryūkyū Islands . In the regional dialect it is called Yamamayā ("mountain cat, wild cat"), Yamapikaryā ("sparkling something of the mountains") or Pingīmayā ("fled cat"). After an eventful taxonomic history, the Iriomote cat is now only regarded as an island population of the Bengal cat ( Prionailurus bengalensis ).

features

Iriomote cats have dark brown long haired fur with horizontal stripes of darker indistinct spots. They have a relatively elongated body with short limbs and a short tail of about 19 cm. Males weigh on average 4.2 ± 0.5 kg, and cats 3.2 ± 0.3 kg.

In terms of size, they are comparable to domestic cats : the head-torso length is around 60 cm. The ears are small and rounded with a white spot on the back.

Distribution and habitat

Distribution area

Iriomote cats are only found on the island of Iriomote, which is at the southern end of the Ryūkyū chain of islands , a group of islands that stretches from Kyūshū to Taiwan . Iriomote consists mainly of hills 300–400 m high, covered with sub-tropical evergreen deciduous forest, and extensive belts of mangroves along the waterways. Iriomote cats live mainly in the coastal areas near settlements, but less in the protected mountain forests in the interior of the island. The mangrove forests and wooded swamp areas in the coastal areas show a greater biodiversity and, because of their larger prey spectrum, seem to represent more suitable habitats than the higher-lying areas in the interior of the island.

Way of life

Iriomote cats are solitary animals and generally active at dusk and in the early hours of the night, when their prey also become active. Hangovers are mostly active at dawn and after sunset. Cats are also active at midnight and around noon when they have young. They rest in tree hollows, branches or crevices in the rock.

In the northern forests of the island, kuder have larger territories than cats, which include territories of several cats. In these suitable habitats, areas of kuders are around 3 km 2 , those of cats an average of 1.75 km 2 . According to studies that were carried out in a less forested location on the west coast, the area of ​​the kuders was only between 0.83 km 2 and 1.65 km 2 , that of the resident cat was somewhat larger, namely between 0.76 km 2 and 1.84 km 2 in size. The territories of both individuals largely overlapped.

nutrition

Iriomote cats feed on insects , reptiles , amphibians , birds that live near water, and small mammals . In the late 1980s, biologists examined the feeding behavior of Iriomote cats using faecal samples that they collected monthly. They found that Iriomote cats eat more lizards and frogs than mammals and birds, and feed primarily on skinks .

Reproduction

Iriomote cats mate primarily between February and March. After a gestation period of about 60 days, cats bring in between April and June, more rarely two young animals, which they suckle for two to three months. After 4 months at the earliest, the young animals slowly separate from their mother. They reach sexual maturity at around eight months of age. Life expectancy is estimated at around ten years.

Taxonomic history

Since their discovery in the 1960s, the taxonomic status of the Iriomote cats has been controversial.

In 1967 it was described as a separate species and genus, Mayailurus iriomotensis . It was later assigned to the genus Prionailurus . MtDNA analyzes carried out in the 1990s indicate that the population of this Japanese wild cat should be classified as a subspecies of the bengal cat ( Prionailurus bengalensis ). After the publication of these analyzes, the IUCN reviewers responsible for the Iriomote cat classified it as Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis from 1994 onwards . Paul Leyhausen and his colleagues examined the skulls of Bengal cats and Iriomote cats in the 1990s. He came to the conclusion that the proportion of skulls clearly shows the close relationship of the Iriomote cat with the genus Prionailurus , and that they share characteristics with Prionailurus bengalensis , the fish cat ( Prionailurus viverrinus ) and the flat-headed cat ( Prionailurus planiceps ); Affinities with the genera Pardofelis and Profelis cannot be overlooked either. In his opinion, however, the differences are so great that a classification of the Iriomote cat as an independent species Prionailurus iriomotensis is justified.

Molecular genetic studies carried out in the 1990s showed that the genetic structure of Iriomote cats, Bengal cats and Amur cats is different; however, the extent of the differences was only so great that the researchers advocated the classification of the Iriomote cat as a subspecies of Prionailurus bengalensis .

The Cat Specialist Group of the IUCN assigned the Iriomote cat to the Bengal cat subspecies Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus in a revision of the cat systematics published in 2017 . So it is no longer an independent subspecies. Both DNA comparisons and the skull morphology speak in favor of an assignment to the Bengal cat, the similar coat color led to an assignment to P. b. euptilurus .

According to phylogeographic studies, the population probably settled on Iriomote Island from mainland southern China about 90,000 years ago.

Threat and protection

Warning notice on Iriomote cats on the street with "zebra crossings" and ditches as a protective measure

The population and range of cats are small. The island of Iriomote is only 284 km 2 . The population of cats was estimated at 99 to 110 adult individuals in 1994. Since then, the habitat preferred by Iriomote cats around wetlands has been reduced to such an extent that the population is believed to have become even smaller.

In the Red List of Threatened Species of the World Conservation Union IUCN is it as threatened with extinction (Critically Endangered) performed because the population comprises less than 250 adult cats. The Iriomote cat is also mentioned in Appendix II of the Washington Convention on the Protection of Species . In the Endangered Species Act of the United States is as vulnerable ( endangered ) listed.

literature

  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Y. Imaizumi: A new genus and species of cat from Iriomote, Ryukyu Islands . In: Journal of Mammalian Society Japan. 3 (4), 1967, p. 74.
  2. ↑ a b Kitchener AC, Breitenmoser-Würsten Ch., Eizirik E., Gentry A., Werdelin L., Wilting A., Yamaguchi N., Abramov AV, Christiansen P., Driscoll C., Duckworth JW, Johnson W., Luo S.-J., Meijaard E., O'Donoghue P., Sanderson J., Seymour K., Bruford M., Groves C., Hoffmann M., Nowell K., Timmons Z. & Tobe S. 2017. 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. Pp. 26-28.
  3. ↑ a b M. Izawa, T. Doi, Y. Ono: Social system of the Iriomote cat (Felis iriomotensis) . 5th International Theriological Congress, Rome, August 27-29. Vol. 2, 1989, p. 608.
  4. ^ A b N. Sakaguchi: Ecological aspects and social system of the Iriomote cat Felis iriomotensis (Carnivora; Felidae) . PhD thesis, Kyushu University 1994.
  5. ↑ K. Schmidt, N. Nakanishi, M. Izawa, M. Okamura, S. Watanabe, S. Tanaka, T. Doi: The reproductive tactics and activity patterns of solitary carnivores - the Iriomote cat. In: Journal of Ethology. 27 (1), 2009, pp. 165-174. doi: 10.1007 / s10164-008-0101-4 .
  6. ^ M. Okamura: A study on the reproduction and social systems of the Iriomote cat, Felis iriomotensis . PhD thesis, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan 2002.
  7. ↑ N. Nakanishi, M. Okamura, S. Watanabe, M. Izawa, T. Doi: The effect of habitat on home range size in the Iriomote Cat Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis . In: Mammal Study. Vol. 30, 2005, pp. 1-10. doi : 10.3106 / 1348-6160 (2005) 30 [1: TEOHOH] 2.0.CO; 2
  8. ↑ N. Sakaguchi, Y. Ono: Seasonal change in the food habits of the Iriomote cat Felis iriomotensis. In: Ecological Research. 9 (2), 1994, pp. 167-174. doi: 10.1007 / BF02347492 .
  9. ↑ M. Okamura, T. Doi, N. Sakaguchi, M. Izawa: Annual reproductive cycle of the Iriomote cat Felis iriomotensis. In: Mammal Study. 25) (2), 2000, pp. 75-85. doi: 10.3106 / mammalstudy.25.75
  10. ^ R. Masuda, MC Yoshida: Two Japanese wildcats, the Tsushima cat and the Iriomote cat, show the same mitochondrial DNA lineage as the leopard cat Felis bengalensis. In: Zoological Science. 12, 1995, pp. 655-659.
  11. ↑ P. Leyhausen, M. Pfleiderer: The systematic status of the Iriomote cat (Prionailurus iriomotensis Imaizumi 1967) and the subspecies of the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis Kerr 1792). In: Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 37 (3), 1999, pp. 121-131. doi: 10.1111 / j.1439-0469.1999.tb00974.x
  12. ↑ WE Johnson, FS Ashiki, MM Raymond, C. Driscoll, C. Leh, M. Sunquist, L. Johnston, M. Bush, D. Wildt, N. Yuhki, SJ O'Brien: Molecular genetic characterization of two insular Asian cat species, Bornean Bay cat and Iriomote cat . Evolutionary Theory and Process: Modern perspectives, Papers in Honor of Evivatar Nevo, Kulwer Academic Publisher, 1999, p. 223.
  13. ↑ T. Tamada, B. Siriaroonrat, V. Subramaniam, M. Hamachi, L.-K. Lin, T. Oshida, W. Rerkamnuaychoke, R. Masuda: Molecular Diversity and Phylogeography of the Asian Leopard Cat, Felis bengalensis, Inferred from Mitochondrial and Y-Chromosomal DNA Sequences. ( Memento from May 14, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 704 kB). In: Zoological Science. 25, 2008, pp. 154-163.
  14. ↑ a b M. Izawa: Prionailurus bengalensis ssp. iriomotensis . In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4., 2008.
  15. ^ WC Wozencraft: Prionailurus iriomotensis. ( Memento of the original from August 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Don E. Wilson, DM Reeder: Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. 3. Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bucknell.edu

Web links

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