Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
Cladus: Therapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Cladus: Cynodontia
Cladus: Eucynodontia
Cladus: Probainognathia
Cladus: Prozostrodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Trechnotheria
Infraclassis: Zatheria
Supercohors: Theria
Cohors: Eutheria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Cladus: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Laurasiatheria
Cladus: Ferae
Ordo: Carnivora
Subordo: Feliformia
Familia: Felidae
Subfamilia: Felinae
Genus: Leopardus
Species: Leopardus braccatus
Subspecies: L. b. braccatus – L. b. munoai
Name
Leopardus braccatus (Cope, 1889)
Synonyms
Leopardus colocolo braccatus (Cope, 1889)
References
Leopardus braccatus in Mammal Species of the World.
Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn M. (Editors) 2005. Mammal Species of the World – A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Third edition. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4.
Vernacular names
English: Pantanal Cat
español: Gato del Pantanal
français: Chat du Pantanal
日本語: パンタナルネコ
português: Gato-do-Pantanal
The Pantanal cat (Leopardus colocola braccatus) is a Pampas cat subspecies, a small wild cat native to South America.[1] It is named after the Pantanal wetlands in central South America, where it inhabits mainly grassland, shrubland, savannas and deciduous forests.[2]
Characteristics
The Pantanal cat is brown agouti on the back with a little darker spinal crest. In the face it has two transverse dark lines across each cheek. Its ears are reddish on their base, creamy-white on the outer side and bordered with a black band. Its throat is whitish and blending into orangish towards the sides and on the belly. It has some dark brown rosettes on the flanks and stripes on the legs between elbow and wrist. The tip of the tail and paws are black.[2] It is about the size of a domestic cat.[3]
There is a single report of a wild melanistic individual from Brazil, although this coat pattern has also been observed in some captive specimens.[4]
Distribution and habitat
Pantanal cats are found from sea level to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) in east-central Brazil, Uruguay, and neighbouring regions of central South America (Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina).[4][5] Within this region, they inhabit a range of habitats from open grassland to dense forest, although they are specifically named for the Pantanal wetlands of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay.[4] It has also been reported from agricultural land, and therefore must have some limited tolerance for human disturbance.[6]
Ecology and behaviour
The Pantanal cat is diurnal and solitary. It feeds on small mammals such as cavies, ground-dwelling birds, small lizards, and snakes. Home ranges are between 3 and 37 km2 (1.2 and 14.3 sq mi).[4]
Hybrids between the Pantanal cat and oncilla are known from Brazil.[7]
Taxonomic history
In 1994, it was suggested that its distinct pelage colour, pattern and cranial measurements warrant a specific status.[2] But results of phylogeographic analysis did not support this.[7][8] The validity of the genetic work has been questioned.[4]
Others regarded it as "likely [a] distinct species".[9] In 2017, it was considered a subspecies of the Pampas cat by IUCN assessors.[10]
In 2020, it was further recognized as a full species based on morphological, molecular, geographical, and ecological differences.[11][12] One further population (L. munoai) traditionally recognized as a subspecies of the Pantanal cat when it is deemed distinct, has also been elevated to full species status.[11][13]
References
Cat Specialist Group (2017). "Revised taxonomy of the Felidae. Ocelot lineage". Cat News (Special Issue 11): 76.
Garcia-Perea, R. (1994). "The pampas cat group (Genus Lynchailurus Severertzov 1858) (Carnivora: Felidae), a systematic and biogeographic review" (PDF). American Museum Novitates (3096): 1–35.
Sunquist, M. E., Sunquist, F. C. (2002). "Pampas cat Oncifelis colocolo (Molina, 1782)". Wild Cats of the World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 200–204. ISBN 978-0-226-77999-7.
Barstow, A.L.; Leslie, D.M. (2012). "Leopardus braccatus (Carnivora: Felidae)" (PDF). Mammalian Species. 44 (1): 16–25. doi:10.1644/891.1.
Díaz Luque, J. A., Beraud, V., Torres, P. J., Kacoliris, F. P., Daniele, G., Wallace, R. B., and Berkunsky, I. (2012). First record of pantanal cat, Leopardus colocolo braccatus, in Bolivia. Mastozoología neotropical 19(2): 299–301.
Araujo Bagno, M. (2004). "Notes on the natural history and conservation status of pampas cat, Oncifelis colocolo, in the Brazilian Cerrado". Mammalia. 68 (1): 75–79. doi:10.1515/mamm.2004.011. S2CID 84749514.
Johnson, W.E.; et al. (1999). "Disparate phylogeographic patterns of molecular genetic variation in four closely related South American small cat species". Molecular Ecology. 8 (S1): S79–S94. doi:10.1046/j.1365-294X.1999.00796.x. PMID 10703553. S2CID 34990824.
Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 537–538. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
Sunquist, M. E. & Sunquist, F. C. (2009). "Colocolo (Leopardus colocolo)". In Wilson, D. E.; Mittermeier, R. A. (eds.). Handbook of the Mammals of the World Vol. 1. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. p. 146. ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1.
Lucherini, M.; Eizirik, E.; de Oliveira, T.; Pereira, J.; Williams, R.S.R. (2016). "Leopardus colocolo". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T15309A97204446. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T15309A97204446.en.
Nascimento, F.O.D.; Cheng, J.; Feijó, A. (2021). "Taxonomic revision of the pampas cat Leopardus colocola complex (Carnivora: Felidae): an integrative approach". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society: 575–611. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa043.
"Leopardus braccatus". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
"Leopardus fasciatus". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
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