cougars - subspecies
Until the late 1990s, as many as 32 subspecies were recorded; however, a recent genetic study of mitochondrial DNA found that many of these are too similar to be recognized as distinct at a molecular level. Following the research, the canonical Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition) recognizes six subspecies, five of which are solely found in Latin America:
- Argentine Puma (Puma concolor cabrerae) includes the previous subspecies and synonyms hudsonii and puma (Marcelli, 1922)
- Costa Rican Cougar (Puma concolor costaricensis)
- Eastern South American Cougar (Puma concolor anthonyi) includes the previous subspecies and synonyms acrocodia, borbensis, capricornensis, concolor (Pelzeln, 1883), greeni and nigra
- North American Cougar (Puma concolor couguar) includes the previous subspecies and synonyms arundivaga, aztecus, browni, californica, coryi, floridana, hippolestes, improcera, kaibabensis, mayensis, missoulensis, olympus, oregonensis, schorgeri, stanleyana, vancouverensis and youngi
- Northern South American Cougar (Puma concolor concolor) includes the previous subspecies and synonyms bangsi, incarum, osgoodi, soasoaranna, soderstromii, sucuacuara and wavula
- Southern South American Puma (Puma concolor puma) includes the previous subspecies and synonyms araucanus, concolor (Gay, 1847), patagonica, pearsoni and puma (Trouessart, 1904)
The status of the Florida panther, here collapsed into the North American Cougar, remains uncertain. It is still regularly listed as
subspecies Puma concolor coryi in research works, including those directly concerned with its conservation. Culver et al. themselves noted
microsatellite variation in the Florida panther, possibly due to inbreeding; responding to the research, one conservation team suggests
"the degree to which the scientific community has accepted the results of Culver et al. and the proposed change in taxonomy is not resolved
at this time."
« back