Neofelis

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Neofelis
Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)

Clouded leopard ( Neofelis nebulosa )

Systematics
Superordinate : Laurasiatheria
Order : Predators (Carnivora)
Subordination : Feline (Feliformia)
Family : Cats (Felidae)
Subfamily : Big cats (pantherinae)
Genre : Neofelis
Scientific name
Neofelis
Gray , 1867

Neofelis is a genus of cats (Felidae), which containstwo specieswith the clouded leopard ( Neofelis nebulosa ) and the Sunda clouded leopard ( Neofelis diardi ). Both species live in Southeast Asia, with the clouded leopard occurring on the mainland from Nepal , northern India and China to the Malay Peninsula and the Sunda clouded leopard in two subspecies on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo .

features

The two species of the genus Neofelis belong to the smaller species of the big cats . The clouded leopard reaches a head-trunk length of 75 to 105 centimeters with a tail of 79 to 90 centimeters, the weight averages 18 to 22 kilograms. The size of the Sunda clouded leopard is in a similar range. Both species have a yellow-brown to dark gray basic color on which there is a conspicuous pattern of large, darker spots with a black border.

The Sunda clouded leopard has longer canine teeth and thicker fangs in the upper jaw than the clouded leopard. The cloud markings on the fur are smaller and darker and there are many noticeable spots within the cloud patches. The fur is grayer, generally darker, and it has a dark, continuous, double eel line .

distribution

Distribution areas of the clouded leopard (green) and the Sunda clouded leopard (red)

The range of the two species of the genus Neofelis is in Southeast Asia. The clouded leopard is widespread on the Southeast Asian mainland in parts of the People's Republic of China , Nepal , India , Bangladesh , Bhutan , Cambodia , Laos , Myanmar , Thailand , Vietnam and the mainland area of Malaysia . The Sunda clouded leopard, on the other hand, lives on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo and possibly on some of the smaller islands of the Malay archipelago.

Systematics

Until 2006, the clouded leopard ( Neofelis nebulosa ) was the only species in the genus Neofelis belonging to the big cats . On the basis of molecular genetic and morphometric studies, however, the Sunda clouded leopard ( Neofelis diardi ) from the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo, previously considered a subspecies, was classified as a separate species. At the genetic level, the two forms are just as different as the species of the genus Panthera from each other, so two species are to be distinguished.

Occasionally Neofelis is considered a subgenus of Panthera . The genus Neofelis differs from the other big cats through its ossified hyoid bone .

Sunda Clouded Leopard ( Neofelis diardi ) at Lower Kinabatangan in Borneo
Relationships of cats according to O'Brien & Johnson 2008.
  Cats  

  Small cats  







 Manul  ( Otocolobus manul )



   

 Old World Wildcats  ( Felis )



   

 Cheetah ( acinonyx )


   

 Pumas ( Puma )




   

 Lynx ( Lynx )



   

 Leopard cats ( leopardus )



   

 Karakal ( caracal )


   

 Serval ( Leptailurus )




   

 Pardofelis



  Big cats  

 Neofelis


   

 Panthera




   

 Saber-toothed cats (Machairodontinae)



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supporting documents

  1. ^ A Wilting, P. Christiansen, AC Kitchener, YJM Kemp, L. Ambu, J. Fickel: Geographical variation in and evolutionary history of the Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) with the description of a new subspecies from Borneo. In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 2010. doi: 10.1016 / j.ympev.2010.11.007 .
  2. ^ Katie Holmes: Neofelis nebulosa . in the Animal Diversity Net.
  3. ↑ Neofelis nebulosa in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2011. Posted by: J. Sanderson, JA Khan, L. Grassman, DP Mallon, 2008. Accessed April 17, 2012th
  4. ↑ Neofelis diardi in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2011. Posted by: A. Hearn, J. Sanderson, J. Ross, A. Wilting, p Sunarto, 2008. Accessed April 17, 2012th
  5. ↑ Valerie A. Buckley-Beason, Warren E. Johnson, William G. Nash, Roscoe Stanyon, Joan C. Menninger, Carlos A. Driscoll, JoGayle Howard, Mitch Bush, John E. Page, Melody E. Roelke, Gary Stone, Paolo P. Martelli, Ci Wen, Lin Ling, Ratna K. Duraisingam, Phan V. Lam, Stephen J. O'Brien: Molecular Evidence for Species-Level Distinctions in Clouded Leopards. In: Current Biology. No. 16, December 5, 2006, pp. 2371-2376.
  6. ^ A. Kitchener et al: Geographical Variation in the Clouded Leopard, Neofelis nebulosa, Reveals Two Species. In: Current Biology. No. 16, December 5, 2006, pp. 2377-2383.
  7. ↑ Stephen J. O'Brien, Warren E. Johnson: The New Pedigree of Cats. In: Spectrum of Science. 6, 2008, pp. 54-61.

Web links

Commons : Neofelis  - collection of images, videos and audio files