Felis

{{Automatic taxobox

| fossil_range = Piacenzian – Holocene {{Fossilrange|3.4|0}}

| image = Felis_collage.png

| image_upright = 1.2

| image_caption = The six wild Felis species; from top-left, clockwise: European wildcat (F. silvestris), jungle cat (F. chaus), African wildcat (F. lybica), black-footed cat (F. nigripes), sand cat (F. margarita), Chinese mountain cat (F. bieti)

| taxon = Felis

| authority = Linnaeus, 1758

| type_species = Felis catus

| type_species_authority = Linnaeus, 1758

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision = See {{section link||Taxonomy}}

| range_map = Felis range.png

| range_map_caption = Native Felis range

}}

Felis is a genus of small and medium-sized cat species native to most of Africa and south of 60° latitude in Europe and Asia to Indochina. The genus includes the domestic cat. The smallest of the seven Felis species is the black-footed cat with a head and body length from {{convert|38|to|42|cm|in|abbr=on}}. The largest is the jungle cat with a head and body length from {{convert|62|to|76|cm|in|abbr=on}}.{{cite book |last=Pocock |first=R. I. |date=1951 |title=Catalogue of the genus Felis |publisher=British Museum of Natural History |location=London |url= https://archive.org/stream/catalogueofgenus00brit#page/n6/mode/1up}}

Genetic studies indicate that the Felinae genera Felis, Otocolobus and Prionailurus diverged from a Eurasian progenitor of the Felidae about 6.2 million years ago, and that Felis species split off 3.04 to 0.99 million years ago.{{Cite journal |doi=10.1126/science.1122277 |volume=311 |issue=5757 |pages=73–77 |title=The Late Miocene Radiation of Modern Felidae: A Genetic Assessment |journal=Science |year=2006 |pmid=16400146 |last1=Johnson |first1=W. E. |last2=Eizirik |first2=E. |last3=Pecon-Slattery |first3=J. |last4=Murphy |first4=W. J. |last5=Antunes |first5=A. |last6=Teeling |first6=E. |last7=O'Brien |first7=S. J. |bibcode=2006Sci...311...73J |s2cid=41672825|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1230866 }}{{cite journal |last1=Pecon-Slattery |first1= J. |last2=O'Brien |first2=S. J. |date=1998 |title=Patterns of Y and X chromosome DNA sequence divergence during the Felidae radiation |journal=Genetics |volume=148 |issue=3 |pages=1245–1255 |doi=10.1093/genetics/148.3.1245 |pmid=9539439 |pmc=1460026 |url= http://www.genetics.org/cgi/content/full/148/3/1245}}

Etymology

The generic name Felis is derived from Classical Latin {{lang|la|fēlis}} meaning 'cat, ferret'.{{cite book |last=Valpy |first=F. E. J. |date=1828 |title=An Etymological Dictionary of the Latin Language |chapter=Felis |chapter-url= https://archive.org/stream/anetymologicald00valpgoog#page/n178/mode/2up |location=London |publisher=A. J. Valpy}}

Taxonomy

Carl Linnaeus considered Felis to comprise all cat species known until 1758.{{Cite book |last=Linnaeus |first=C. |title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis |location=Holmiae |publisher=Laurentii Salvii |year=1758 |pages=42–44 |chapter=Felis |language=la |volume=1 |edition=10th reformed |chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/mobot31753000798865/page/42}} Later taxonomists split the cat family into different genera. In 1917, the British zoologist Reginald Innes Pocock revised the genus Felis as comprising only the ones listed in the following table. Estimated genetic divergence times of the listed species are indicated in million years ago (Mya), based on analysis of autosomal, xDNA, yDNA and mtDNA gene segments.

Species	Image	IUCN Red List status and distribution
class="wikitable"
style="vertical-align: top; \|Domestic cat (F. catus) {{small\|Linnaeus, 1758}} \|frameless \|{{IUCN status\|NE}} Worldwide in association with humans or feral{{Cite book \|title=A Natural History of Domesticated Mammals \|last=Clutton-Brock \|first=J. \|publisher=Cambridge University Press \|date=1999 \|isbn=9780521634953 \|edition=2nd \|pages=133–140 \|chapter=Cats \|oclc=39786571 \|orig-year=1987 \|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=cgL-EbbB8a0C&pg=PA133}}
style="vertical-align: top;	European wildcat (F. silvestris) {{small\|Schreber, 1777}}{{cite book \|last=Schreber \|first=J. C. D. \|date=1778 \|chapter=Die wilde Kaze \|trans-chapter=The Wild Cat \|pages=397–402 \|title=Die Säugthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen (Dritter Theil) \|publisher=Expedition des Schreber'schen Säugthier- und des Esper'schen Schmetterlingswerkes \|location=Erlangen \|chapter-url= http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/schreber1875textbd3/0095?page_query=397&navmode=struct&action=pagesearch&sid=cc4bffe3d0372c2d2c5c1ddb03aed21d}} diverged {{font color\|#882277\|1.62 to 0.59 Mya}} \|frameless \|{{IUCN status\|LC\|3847}}{{cite iucn \|title=Felis silvestris \|last1=Yamaguchi \|first1=N. \|last2=Kitchener \|first2=A. \|last3=Driscoll \|first3=C. \|last4=Nussberger \|first4=B. \|page=e.T60354712A50652361 \|date=2015 \|access-date=29 October 2018}} frameless
style="vertical-align: top; \|Jungle cat (F. chaus) {{small\|Schreber, 1777}}{{cite book \|last=Schreber \|first=J. C. D. \|date=1778 \|chapter=Der Kirmyschak \|language=de \|chapter-url= https://archive.org/stream/SaYugthiereAbbiIIISchr#page/414/mode/2up \|pages=414–416 \|title=Die Säugethiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur, mit Beschreibungen \|location=Erlangen \|publisher=Wolfgang Walther}} diverged {{font color\|#882277\|4.88 to 2.41 Mya}} \|frameless \|{{IUCN status\|LC\|3847}}{{cite iucn \|title=Felis chaus \|last1=Gray \|first1=T. N. E. \|last2=Timmins \|first2=R. J. \|last3=Jathana \|first3=D. \|last4=Duckworth \|first4=J. W. \|last5=Baral \|first5=H. \|last6=Mukherjee \|first6=S. \|page=e.T8540A50651463 \|date=2016}} frameless
style="vertical-align: top; \|African wildcat (F. lybica) {{small\|Forster, 1780}}{{cite book \|last1=Forster \|first1=G. R. \|year=1780 \|title=Herrn von Büffons Naturgeschichte der vierfüssigen Thiere. Mit Vermehrungen, aus dem Französischen übersetzt. Sechster Band \|trans-title=Mr. von Büffon‘s Natural History of Quadrupeds. With additions, translated from French. Volume 6 \|location=Berlin \|publisher=Joachim Pauli \|chapter=LIII. Der Karakal \|pages=299–319 \|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qohRAAAAYAAJ&pg=SL26-PA13}} diverged {{font color\|#882277\|1.86 to 0.72 Mya}} \|frameless \|{{IUCN status\|LC\|3847

}{{cite iucn |title=Felis lybica |last1=Ghoddousi |first1=A. |last2=Belbachir |first2=F. |last3=Durant |first3=S. M. |last4=Herbst |first4=M. |last5=Rosen |first5=T. |page=e.T131299383A154907281 |date=2022}}

frameless

|- style="vertical-align: top;

|Black-footed cat (F. nigripes) {{small|Burchell, 1824}}{{cite book |last1=Burchell |first1=W. J. |title=Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa, Vol. II |year=1824 |publisher=Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green |location=London |page=592 |chapter=Felis nigripes |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=AGpdAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA592}}

diverged {{font color|#882277|4.44 to 2.16 Mya}}

|frameless

|{{IUCN status|VU|136603}}{{cite iucn ||title=Felis nigripes |last1=Sliwa |first1=A. |last2=Wilson |first2=B. |last3=Küsters |first3=M. |last4=Tordiffe |first4=A. |page=e.T8542A50652196 |date=2016}}

frameless

|- style="vertical-align: top;

|Sand cat (F. margarita) {{small|Loche, 1858}}{{cite journal |last=Loche |first=V. |year=1858 |title=Description d'une nouvelle espèce de Chat par M. le capitaine Loche |trans-title=Description of a new species of cat, Mr. Captain Loche |journal=Revue et Magasin de Zoologie Pure et Appliquée |pages=49–50 |series=2 |volume=X |url= https://archive.org/stream/revueetmagasinde10soci#page/49/mode/1up}}

diverged {{font color|#882277|3.67 to 1.72 Mya}}

|frameless

|{{IUCN status|LC|3847}}{{Cite iucn |title=Felis margarita |last1=Sliwa |first1=A. |last2=Ghadirian |first2=T. |last3=Appel |first3=A. |last4=Banfield |first4=L. |last5=Sher Shah |first5=M. |last6=Wacher |first6=T. |page=e.T8541A50651884 |date=2016 |access-date=29 October 2018}}

frameless

|- style="vertical-align: top;

|Chinese mountain cat (F. bieti) {{small|Milne-Edwards, 1892}}{{cite journal |last1=Milne-Edwards |first1=A. |date=1892 |title=Observations sur les mammifères du Thibet |journal=Revue Générale des Sciences Pures et Appliquées |volume=III |pages=670–671 |url=https://archive.org/stream/bulletinbiologiq03univ#page/670/mode/2up}}

diverged {{font color|#882277|1.86 to 0.72 Mya}}

|frameless

|{{IUCN status|VU|136603}}{{cite iucn |title=Felis bieti |last1=Riordan |first1=P. |last2=Sanderson |first2=J. |last3=Bao |first3=W. |last4=Abdukadir |first4=A. |last5=Shi |first5=K. |page=e.T8539A50651398 |date=2015 |access-date=29 October 2018}}

frameless

Pocock accepted the Pallas's cat as the only member of the genus Otocolobus. Other scientists consider it also a Felis species.{{MSW3 Wozencraft |page=538 |id=14000029 |heading=Genus Felis}}

Several scientists consider the Chinese mountain cat a subspecies of F. silvestris.{{cite journal |last1=Driscoll |first1=C. A. |last2=Menotti-Raymond |first2=M. |last3=Roca |first3=A. L. |last4=Hupe |first4=K. |last5=Johnson |first5=W. E. |last6=Geffen |first6=E. |last7=Harley |first7=E. H. |last8=Delibes |first8=M. |last9=Pontier |first9=D. |last10=Kitchener |first10=A. C. |last11=Yamaguchi |first11=N. |last12=O'Brien |first12=S. J. |last13=Macdonald |first13=D. W. |date=2007 |title=The Near Eastern Origin of Cat Domestication |journal=Science |volume=317 |issue=5837 |pages=519–523 |doi=10.1126/science.1139518 |pmid=17600185 |bibcode=2007Sci...317..519D |pmc=5612713 |url= http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/resbot/repr/add/domesticcat_driscoll2007.pdf}}

=Phylogeny=

The phylogenetic relationships of living Felis species are shown in the following cladogram:

{{cladogram |align=left |style=font-size:90%;line-height:100%;width:500px;

|cladogram={{clade |label1=Felidae

|1={{clade

|label1=Felinae

|1={{clade

|label1=Felis

|1={{clade

|1=Domestic cat (F. catus)

|2=European wildcat (F. silvestris)

}}

|2={{clade

|1=African wildcat (F. lybica)

|2=Chinese mountain cat (F. bieti)

}}}}

|2=Sand cat (F. margarita)

}}

|2=Black-footed cat (F. nigripes)

}}

|2=Jungle cat (F. chaus)

}}}}

|2=other Felinae lineages

}}}}}}

|2=Pantherinae

}}}}}}

=Extinct ''Felis'' species=

Extinct Felis species in the fossil record include:

Felis lunensis (Martelli, 1906){{cite journal |last1=Martelli |first1=A. |date=1906 |title=Su due Mustelidi e un Felide del Pliocene Toscano |trans-title=About two Mustelids and one Felid of Pliocene Toscana |journal=Bollettino della Società Geologica Italiana |volume=25 |pages=595–612 |url= https://archive.org/details/bollettinodellas2519soci/page/606}}
Felis wenzensis (Stach, 1961){{Cite journal |last=Stach |first=Jan |date=1961 |title=On two carnivores from the Pliocene breccia of Węże |journal=Acta Palaeontologica Polonica |volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=321–329 |url=https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app06-321.html}}

Characteristics

Felis species have high and wide skulls, short jaws and narrow ears with short tufts, but without any white spots on the back of the ears. Their pupils contract to a vertical slit.

A black cat from Transcaucasia described in 1904 as F. daemon by Satunin{{cite journal |last1=Satunin |first1=C. |title=The Black Wild Cat of Transcaucasia |journal=Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London |date=1904 |volume=II |pages=162–163 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1904.tb08325.x |url= https://archive.org/details/proceedingsofzoo19042zool/page/162}} turned out to be a feral cat, probably a hybrid of wildcat and domestic cat.{{cite book |editor1-last=Bukhnikashvili |editor1-first=A. |editor2-last=Yevlampiev |editor2-first=I. |url= http://caucasian-large-mammalian.narod.ru/catalogue_english.pdf |title=Catalogue of the Specimens of Caucasian Large Mammalian Fauna in the Collection |publisher=Georgian National Museum |location=Tbilisi}}

The Kellas cat is a hybrid between domestic cat and European wildcat occurring in Scotland.{{Cite journal |last1=Kitchener |first1=C. |last2=Easterbee |first2=N. |date=1992 |title=The taxonomic status of black wild felids in Scotland |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=227 |issue=2 |pages=342−346 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1992.tb04832.x}}

The Corsican wildcat is considered to have been introduced to Corsica before the beginning of the 1st millennium.{{cite journal |last1=Vigne |first1=J.-D. |title=Zooarchaeology and the biogeographical history of the mammals of Corsica and Sardinia since the last ice age |date=1992 |journal=Mammal Review |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=87–96 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2907.1992.tb00124.x}}{{cite journal |last1=Kitchener |first1=A. C. |last2=Breitenmoser-Würsten |first2=C. |last3=Eizirik |first3=E. |last4=Gentry |first4=A. |last5=Werdelin |first5=L. |last6=Wilting |first6=A. |last7=Yamaguchi |first7=N. |last8=Abramov |first8=A. V. |last9=Christiansen |first9=P. |last10=Driscoll |first10=C. |last11=Duckworth |first11=J. W. |last12=Johnson |first12=W. |last13=Luo |first13=S.-J. |last14=Meijaard |first14=E. |last15=O’Donoghue |first15=P. |last16=Sanderson |first16=J. |last17=Seymour |first17=K. |last18=Bruford |first18=M. |last19=Groves |first19=C. |last20=Hoffmann |first20=M. |last21=Nowell |first21=K. |last22=Timmons |first22=Z. |last23=Tobe |first23=S. |date=2017 |title=A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group |journal=Cat News |volume=Special Issue 11 |pages=17−20 |url= https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/32616/A_revised_Felidae_Taxonomy_CatNews.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y}} A genetic study of a dozen individuals showed that they are closely related to the African wildcat originating in the Middle East.{{Cite web |url= https://www.livescience.com/65744-cat-fox-new-species.html |title=Meet the Cat-Fox, an Oddball Feline Roaming Around a French Island |last=Saplakoglu |first=Y. |date=2019 |website=Live Science |access-date=25 June 2019}}

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline|Felis|Felis}}
{{Wikispecies-inline}}
{{Cite Americana |wstitle=Cat |first=Ernest |last=Ingersoll |author-link=Ernest Ingersoll |short=x}}

Category:Carnivoran genera

Category:Messinian first appearances

Category:Extant Miocene first appearances

Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus

Category:Felines