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Aceptado 2025-11-08
Publicado 2026-08-19
Resumen
El género Leopardus, el más diverso de la familia Felidae, presenta una historia evolutiva compleja, caracterizada por eventos de hibridación e introgresión que han dificultado la delimitación de varias especies. Este es el caso del complejo L. tigrinus, distribuido desde Centroamérica hasta el sur de Brasil. A partir de evidencia filogenómica, genética, morfológica y ecológica, estudios recientes han demostrado la no monofilia del complejo, identificando al menos tres especies válidas: L. pardinoides, restringida a ecosistemas montanos en Costa Rica y Panamá hasta los Andes de Colombia y Ecuador, L. tigrinus, distribuida principalmente en el noreste brasileño y el escudo guyanés y L. guttulus endémico de la Mata Atlántica. Toda la información recopilada alrededor de este complejo de especies ha permitido comprender mejor su historia evolutiva. Por ello, actualmente se reconocen las poblaciones del complejo L. tigrinus distribuidas en ambientes montanos (e.g., Centroamérica y los Andes de Colombia y Ecuador) bajo el nombre L. pardinoides. Este cambio además invita a evaluar su categoría de amenaza a nivel global, para direccionar apropiadamente esfuerzos de conservación y mitigación de amenazas.
Citas
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