Felinae is a subfamily of the Felidae and comprises the small cats having a bony hyoid, because of which they are able to purr but not roar.[2]Other authors have proposed an alternative definition for this subfamily, as comprising only the living conical-toothed cat genera with two tribes, the Felini and Pantherini, and excluding the extinct sabre-toothed Machairodontinae.[3][4]

Felinae[1]
Temporal range: MioceneHolocene, 9–0 Ma
Clockwise, an ocelot, a European wildcat, a cougar and a cheetah
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain:Eukaryota
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Carnivora
Suborder:Feliformia
Family:Felidae
Subfamily:Felinae
Fischer von Waldheim, 1817
Type genus
Felis
Genera

See §Taxonomy

Native ranges of Felinae

Characteristics

The members of the Felinae have retractile claws that are protected by at least one cutaneous lobe. Their larynx is kept close to the base of the skull by an ossified hyoid.[5]They can purr owing to the vocal folds being shorter than 6 mm (0.24 in).[6][7]The cheetah Acinonyx does not have cutaneous sheaths for guarding claws.[8]

Taxonomy

The term 'Felini' was first used in 1817 by Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim, at the time for all the cat species that had been proposed as belonging to the genus Felis.[9]In 1917, Reginald Innes Pocock also subordinated the following genera to the Felinae that had been proposed in the course of the 19th century: Lynx, Puma, Leptailurus, Prionailurus, Pardofelis, Leopardus, Herpailurus, Neofelis and four more.[5]

The Felinae and Pantherinae probably diverged about 11.5 million years ago. The genera within the Felinae diverged between 10.67 and 4.23 million years ago.[10][11]

Today, the following living genera and species are recognised as belonging to the Felinae:[2]

GenusSpeciesImage of type speciesRange
Acinonyx Brookes, 1828[12] Africa and Southwestern Asia
Caracal Gray, 1843[14] Africa and Southwestern Asia
Catopuma Severtzov, 1858[17] Southeastern Asia
Felis Linnaeus, 1758[20]
Herpailurus Severtzov, 1858[17] Central and Southern America
Leopardus Gray, 1842[28] Central and Southern America
Leptailurus Severtzov, 1858[17] Africa
Lynx Kerr, 1792[37] Northern Hemisphere
Otocolobus Brandt, 1842[41] Central Asia
Pardofelis Severtzov, 1858[17] Southeastern Asia
Prionailurus Severtzov, 1858[17] Southeastern and Eastern Asia
Puma Jardine 1834[48] Americas

Extinct taxa

GenusSpeciesImage
FelisFelis lunensis
Acinonyx

Lynx
Puma

LeopardusL. vorohuensis
Leptofelis Salesa et al., 2017L. vallesiensis
Miracinonyx Adams, 1979[52]
  • M. inexpectatus
  • M. trumani
Pratifelis Hibbard, 1934P. martini
Pristifelis Salesa et al., 2012P. attica
Sivapanthera Kretzoi, 1929[53]
  • S. arvernensis
  • S. brachygnathus
  • S. linxiaensis
  • S. padhriensis
  • S. pleistocaenicus
  • S. potens

Phylogeny

The phylogenetic relationships of Felinae are shown in the following cladogram:[54][55][2]

 Felidae 
 Felinae 
Domestic cat lineage
 Felis 

Felis catus (domestic cat)

Felis lybica (African wildcat)

Felis bieti (Chinese mountain cat)

Felis silvestris (European wildcat)

Felis lunensis (Martelli's cat)

Felis margarita (Sand cat)

Felis nigripes (Black-footed cat)

Felis chaus (Jungle cat)

 †Pristifelis 

Pristifelis attica

Leopard cat lineage
 Prionailurus 

Prionailurus bengalensis (Leopard cat)

Prionailurus javanensis (Sunda leopard cat)

Prionailurus viverrinus (Fishing cat)

Prionailurus planiceps (Flat-headed cat)

Prionailurus rubiginosus (Rusty-spotted cat)

 Otocolobus 

Otocolobus manul (Pallas's cat)

Puma lineage
 Puma 

Puma concolor (Cougar)

Puma pardoides (Eurasian puma)

Puma pumoides

 †Miracinonyx 

Miracinonyx inexpectatus

Miracinonyx trumani

 Herpailurus 

Herpailurus yagouaroundi (Jaguarundi)

 Acinonyx 

Acinonyx jubatus (Cheetah)

Acinonyx pardinensis (Giant cheetah)

Acinonyx aicha

Acinonyx intermedius

 †Sivapanthera 

Sivapanthera brachygnathus

Sivapanthera pleistocaenicus

Sivapanthera potens

Sivapanthera linxiaensis

Sivapanthera padhriensis

Sivapanthera arvernensis

 Lynx 
Lynx lineage

Lynx lynx (Eurasian lynx)

Lynx pardinus (Iberian lynx)

Lynx canadensis (Canada lynx)

Lynx rufus (Bobcat)

Lynx issiodorensis (Issoire lynx)

Lynx rexroadensis

Lynx thomasi

 Leopardus 
Ocelot lineage

Leopardus pardalis (Ocelot)

Leopardus wiedii (Margay)

Leopardus tigrinus (Oncilla)

Leopardus guigna (Kodkod)

Leopardus geoffroyi (Geoffroy's cat)

Leopardus guttulus (Southern tiger cat)

Leopardus colocolo (Pampas cat)

Leopardus jacobita (Andean mountain cat)

Leopardus vorohuensis

Caracal lineage
 Caracal 

Caracal caracal (Caracal)

Caracal aurata (African golden cat)

 Leptailurus 

Leptailurus serval (Serval)

Bay cat lineage
 Catopuma 

Catopuma badia (Bay cat)

Catopuma temminckii (Asian golden cat)

 Pardofelis 

Pardofelis marmorata (Marbled cat)

 †Pratifelis 

Pratifelis martini

 †Leptofelis 

Leptofelis vallesiensis

sensu stricto

 Pantherinae 

 †Miopanthera 

Miopanthera pamiri

sensu lato

See also

References

External links

  • Media related to Felinae at Wikimedia Commons