#leopardus guttulus

[inatcats]

Southern Tigrina (Leopardus guttulus)

Observed by felipe_opassos, CC BY-NC

[big-cat-network]

The Southern Tigrina: Hiding in Plain Sight

Written by admins Marcus, Lynx, Aysegul, and Nora.

Deep in the tropical forests of Southern Brazil lives a small, spotted cat whom researches were completely oblivious to less than two years ago. Late 2013 brought a new article in Current Biology in which this new species of wild cat was recognized. The article detailed genetic testing done on cats previously believed to be oncillas (Leopardus tigrinus), but revealed a distinct new species known as the southern tigrina (L. guttulus). The hypothesis that the tigrinas were two different species first came about around 50 years ago, but, unfortunately, was never tested until 2013.

The oncilla and southern tigrina have both similarities and differences. While the oncilla can be found in the savannas of northeastern South America, the southern tigrina can be found in dense, wet forests of Brazil. In physical appearance, the southern tigrina is very similar to the oncilla; both cats weigh from 1.5 to 3 kg (3 to 6 lb), and have dark rosettes and spots scattered across their coat. However, due to the differences in habitat, southern tigrinas can be distinguished by a darker brown base color, larger rosettes, rounder ears, shorter tail, and slightly longer fur than the oncilla boasts.

The study found that the genetic distinctiveness between the southern tigrina and oncilla were comparative to the genetic distinctiveness between the Geoffroy's cat (L. geoffroyi) and pampas cat (L. colocolo). According to the researchers, the southern tigrina has not shared a gene flow with the oncilla in some time--this newfound knowledge being what led to the recognition of the southern tigrina being a separate species from the oncilla.

Research also indicated a very high degree of complex hybridization between the Geoffroy’s cat and southern tigrina; the two species have been interbreeding up to this day. In fact, the hybridization between the southern population of tigrina and Geoffroy’s cat may have contributed to the creation of the new wild cat species. The study reports that the Geoffroy’s cat and southern tigrina have been producing fertile F1 hybrids, which in some cases even backcross with parental species.

With the tigrina species being split in two, the habitat is now half of what it was thought to be, making  efforts more vital than ever before. This news of a new species tells us that 1. more research needs to be done to know just how many of both tigrina species there are in the wild so future conservation efforts will be effective, and 2. there is still so much to learn about the natural world around us.

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Photograph of Leopardus Guttulus by Project Wild Cats of Brazil