ISSN 1027-2992 I Special Issue I N° 10 | Autumn 2016 CatsCAT in Iran news 02 CATnews is the newsletter of the Cat Specialist Group, a component Editors: Christine & Urs Breitenmoser of the Species Survival Commission SSC of the International Union Co-chairs IUCN/SSC for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is published twice a year, and is Cat Specialist Group available to members and the Friends of the Cat Group. KORA, Thunstrasse 31, 3074 Muri, Switzerland For joining the Friends of the Cat Group please contact Tel ++41(31) 951 90 20 Christine Breitenmoser at [email protected] Fax ++41(31) 951 90 40 <[email protected]> Original contributions and short notes about wild cats are welcome Send <[email protected]> contributions and observations to [email protected]. Guidelines for authors are available at www.catsg.org/catnews Cover Photo: From top left to bottom right: Caspian tiger (K. Rudloff) This Special Issue of CATnews has been produced with support Asiatic lion (P. Meier) from the Wild Cat Club and Zoo Leipzig. Asiatic cheetah (ICS/DoE/CACP/ Panthera) Design: barbara surber, werk’sdesign gmbh caracal (M. Eslami Dehkordi) Layout: Christine Breitenmoser & Tabea Lanz Eurasian lynx (F. Heidari) Print: Stämpfli Publikationen AG, Bern, Switzerland Pallas’s cat (F. Esfandiari) Persian leopard (S. B. Mousavi) ISSN 1027-2992 © IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group Asiatic wildcat (S. B. Mousavi) sand cat (M. R. Besmeli) jungle cat (B. Farahanchi) The designation of the geographical entities in this publication, and the representation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. CATnews Special Issue 10 Autumn 2016 Ghoddousi et al. ARASH GHODDOUSI1*, AMIRHOSSEIN KH. HAMIDI2, TAHER GHADIRIAN2 AND SAEEDEH of wildcat taken far from human landscapes BANI’ASSADI3 were taken into account to reduce the chance of making any false judgments based on feral The status of wildcat in Iran - or hybrid individuals. a crossroad of subspecies? Description The wildcat, which is known to be the an- The wildcat Felis silvestris is one of the least-known felid species of Iran with lim- cestor of domestic cats, is classified as a ited information on its taxonomy, distribution, ecology and threats available. In this polytypic wild species with up to five inter- paper, for the first time we conducted a review on the literature and other avail- fertile subspecies in Asia, Europe and Africa able resources to create baseline information for future research and conservation. (Driscoll et al. 2007). There is no agreement Also, we gathered recent records of wildcat presence from across the country. By on how to relate geographical variations to analysing 57 images of this species, contrary to earlier beliefs, wildcat in Iran ap- the morphology and genetics of wildcat to pears to solely belong to the Asian (ornata) subspecies. However, future genetic its taxonomy and systematic (Kitchener & analyses are essential to backup this finding and to clarify the taxonomic status Rees 2009). The situation is also confusing of wildcats in south-west Asia. Wildcat was recorded in 27 out of 31 provinces of in Iran, since it is located at a crossroad of Iran, in a variety of natural habitats to the vicinity of human landscapes, except for distribution ranges of up to three different extremely high altitudes or deserts. Two newly established provinces (Alborz and subspecies of wildcats: African F. s. lybica, Qom) are suspected to have wildcat populations, but lacked any reports. However, Asian F. s. ornata and European F. s. silvestris there have been no historical or recent records from Gilan and Mazandaran Prov- (Driscoll et al. 2007). Wildcats of Iran are sug- inces, which are mainly covered by the Hyrcanian forests. The reason behind such gested to have different coat patterns, cate- distribution pattern requires further investigations. Road accidents, poaching as a gorising them into different subspecies in the retaliatory action against poultry depredation and by-catch in illegal snares are the past (Ziaie 2008). However, in this paper for main reported threats to the existence of wildcats in the country. Potential threats the first time, the status of wildcat in Iran has from shared diseases and hybridisation with domestic cats are unknown and needs been reviewed systematically and by com- further research. parison of 57 images of wildcats from across the country, they all morphologically appear 60 We conducted a review on the status, distri- biologists, DoE officers, rangers, camera to belong to the ornata subspecies or Asiatic bution and ecology of wildcats in Iran by us- trapping projects, wildlife photographers, wildcats (U. Breitenmoser, A. Kitchener & N. ing scientific and grey literature, information zoos and museums for identification of sub- Yamaguchi, pers. comm.). This is contradic- databases, IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group species existing in Iran by comparison of tory to the latest mtDNA genetic study by library, websites and technical reports to cre- coat patterns. Also, images of wildcat from Driscoll et al. (2007), which had considered ate baseline information for future research neighbouring countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Asian subspecies to extend to the east of and conservation. Also, we gathered recent Iraq and Turkey) were gathered. The images the Caspian Sea. However, in that study there records of wildcat presence from provincial were then cross checked with a number of re- were no genetic samples from Iran. Further offices of Department of Environment DoE searchers specialised in wildcat biology and genetic analyses are essential to backup and conservation projects throughout the coat patterns (U. Breitenmoser, A. Kitchener these findings, to help clarify the taxonomic country. We collected wildcat images from & N. Yamaguchi pers. comm.). Only photos status of wildcat in south-west Asia. Wildcat images from Iran show that they have tawny-grey, light grey or sand-coloured pelage, marked distinctly with spots, which is typical for the ornata subspecies. They differ from other wildcat subspecies mainly in their black or red-brown spots (Fig. 1). The spots are sometimes fused into stripes (Nowell & Jackson 1996), especially on the flanks. Asi- atic wildcats have small body size comparing to the other wildcat subspecies weighing between 3-4 kg, with females smaller than males (Table 1; Nowell & Jackson 1996). They have a long, tapering tail, always with a short black tip, and with spots at the base. The forehead has a pattern of four well-de- veloped black bands. A small but pronounced tuft of hair up to one cm long grows from the tip of each ear. Paler forms of Asiatic wild- cat live in drier areas and the darker, more Fig. 1. An Asiatic wildcat from Naeen, Isfahan Province (Photo Hossein Akbari). heavily spotted and striped forms occur in CATnews Special Issue 10 Autumn 2016 wildcat more humid and wooded areas. The throat and ventral surface are whitish to light grey Felis silvestris to cream, often with distinct white patches on the throat, chest and belly. Throughout Names: IUCN Red List: its range the Asiatic wildcat’s coat is usually Gorbe Vahshi Least Concern (2015) short, but the length of the fur can vary de- wildcat, wild cat CITES: pending on the age of the animal and the sea- Appendix II son of the year. Compared to domestic cat, Head and body length: Asiatic wildcats have relatively longer legs. 45-80 cm Country Red List (or Tail length: similar listings): Status, distribution and development of 25-38 cm Non-protected species the population Weight: by Iranian Department of The wildcat has the widest distribution among 2.5-5 kg EnvironmentI all the felid family in the world (Macdonald & Loveridge 2010) with the Asiatic subspecies Global Population: occurring from Iran to India in the south and N/A Mongolia and Russia to the east and north. Iranian Population: Mousavi Photo S. B. Some recent discoveries through camera trap N/A photos reveal the presence of the oranta sub- species of wildcat in the Caucasus (Armania Distribution in Iran: and Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan), Iraq’s Kurd- Widespread throughout istan and south-east Turkey (Batur Avgan & Iran, with limited reports Igor Khorozyan pers. comm.). Nowell & Jack- from Caspian forests and son (1996) based on Ognev (1930) suggested arid deserts that the west of Iran and the Caucasus are the transitional zones between the three sub- species of wildcat; however, it appears that the transition line needs to be revised and (Caspian) forests of Gilan and Mazandaran Wildcat presence has been confirmed in 61 moved further west. Provinces in the north of Iran. There is no 27 out of 31 Provinces of Iran with possible In Iran, wildcats occupy different types of recent report of this species in the area and occurrence of wildcat in the two newly es- habitat, almost throughout the country and historical data are also lacking. Surprisingly, tablished Provinces Alborz and Qom (Fig. 4). are only absent from northern Iran (Fig. 2). wildcat is present in Golestan National Park Presence of wildcat in the remaining two There is not enough data to clarify wheth- NP and further west in Golestan Province, Provinces, Gilan and Mazandaran, is doubtful er the distribution range of wildcat has which is the easternmost extent of the Hyrca- and needs further research (see above). Wild- changed dramatically in the past. However, nian forests (Fig. 3). The reason behind such cat can be found up to an elevation of 2,000- as the wildcat is widespread throughout a distribution pattern needs further investiga- 3,000 (Heptner & Sludskii, 1992). Because of the country (except the mentioned areas), tion.