Neofelis

Neofelis[1]
Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Felidae
Subfamily:	Pantherinae
Genus:	Neofelis Gray, 1867
Species
N. nebulosa N. diardi
Neofelis range

The genus Neofelis comprises two species, the Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) and the Sunda Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi), which are classified as vulnerable by IUCN. Both species are listed on CITES Appendix I.

Characteristics

Taiwanese clouded leopard painting by Joseph Wolf (1862)

The genus is considered distinct because of the difference in skull structure compared to the other pantherine species. They have the longest upper canine teeth of the living big cats.^[2] Molecular studies suggest that while the genus does belong to the same clade as the other big cats, it diverged from the genus Panthera relatively early in their evolutionary history, around five to six million years ago.^[3]

Distribution

Neofelis species are only found in Southeast Asia. The Taiwanese clouded leopard population is significantly diminished, and some believe they may no longer exist in this particular area, as the last reported sighting dates from 1983.^[4]

The Sunda clouded leopard used to be regarded as a subspecies of Neofelis nebulosa, but elevated by biologists to the rank of species in 2006.^[5][6]

References

1. ^ Wozencraft, W. Christopher (16 November 2005). "Order Carnivora (pp. 532-628)". In Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). pp. 545–546. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3. 
2. ^ Rabinowitz, A., P. Andau, P.P.K. Chai (1987). "The clouded leopard in Malaysian Borneo". Oryx 21 (2): 107–111. doi:10.1017/S0030605300026648. 
3. ^ Sunquist, Mel; Sunquist, Fiona (2002). Wild cats of the World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 279. ISBN 0-226-77999-8. 
4. ^ Rabinowitz, A. R. (1988) The clouded leopard in Taiwan. Oryx 22(1): 46–47.
5. ^ Buckley-Beason, V.A., Johnson, W.E., Nash, W.G., Stanyon, R., Menninger, J.C., Driscoll, C.A., Howard, J., Bush, M., Page, J.E., Roelke, M.E., Stone, G., Martelli, P., Wen, C., Ling, L.; Duraisingam, R.K., Lam, V.P., O'Brien, S.J. (2006). "Molecular Evidence for Species-Level Distinctions in Clouded Leopards". Current Biology 16 (23): 2371–2376. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2006.08.066. PMID 17141620. 
6. ^ Kitchener, A.C., Beaumont, M.A., Richardson, D. (5 December 2006). "Geographical Variation in the Clouded Leopard, Neofelis nebulosa, Reveals Two Species". Current Biology 16 (23): 2377–2383. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2006.10.066. PMID 17141621.