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Accepted 2025-11-08
Published 2026-08-19
Abstract
The genus Leopardus, the most diverse in the family Felidae, presents a complex evolutionary history, characterized by hybridization and introgression events challenging species delimitation. This is the case of the L. tigrinus complex, distributed from Central America to southern Brazil. Based on phylogenomic, genetic, morphological, and ecological evidence, recent studies have demonstrated the non-monophyly of the complex, identifying at least three valid species: L. pardinoides, restricted to montane ecosystems in Costa Rica and Panama to the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador; L. tigrinus, distributed mainly in northeastern Brazil and the Guiana Shield; and L. guttulus, endemic to the Atlantic Forest. All the information gathered on this species complex has allowed us to better understand its evolutionary history. Therefore, populations of the L. tigrinus complex distributed in montane environments (e.g., Central America and the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador) are now recognized under the name L. pardinoides. This change also encourages an assessment of its threat status at the global level, in order to appropriately direct conservation and threat mitigation efforts.
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