First record of Leopardus braccatus (Carnivora: Felidae) at chiquitano dry forest, Bolivia

Abstract

The Leopardus colocolo complex, according to a recent taxonomic update, has been divided into five species. One of these is the Leopardus braccatus, known as the Pantanal cat, distributed in Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. Despite its distribution, this species remains understudied. Here, we present a new record of this species, the first documented in the dry Chiquitano forest, a threatened ecosystem previously not considered its habitat. This finding was part of a wild felid camera trap monitoring program using camera traps, where additionally six species of felids were detected in a 41km² area, indicating high felid diversity in this ecoregion. Furthermore, direct threats to the Pantanal cat were identified, such as agricultural activity, presence of livestock, domestic dogs, and illegal hunting. The significance of this new record lies in its location at the southwestern limit of the known distribution for Bolivia, as well as its morphological similarities to the species L. munoai. This underscores the need for further research to better understand its distribution and conservation. Future studies could also explore morphological and distributional similarities between L. braccatus and L. munoai.