Journal ofThreatened JoTT TaxaBuilding evidence for conservaton globally SMALL WILD CATS SPECIAL ISSUE PLATINUM OPEN ACCESS 10.11609/jot.2020.12.2.15219-15278 www.threatenedtaxa.org 17 February 2020 (Online & Print) Vol. 12 | No. 2 | 15219–15278 ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) ISSN 0974-7907 (Online); ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Publisher Host Wildlife Informaton Liaison Development Society Zoo Outreach Organizaton www.wild.zooreach.org www.zooreach.org No. 12, Thiruvannamalai Nagar, Saravanampat - Kalapat Road, Saravanampat, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641035, India Ph: +91 9385339863 | www.threatenedtaxa.org Email: [email protected] EDITORS English Editors Mrs. Mira Bhojwani, Pune, India Founder & Chief Editor Dr. Fred Pluthero, Toronto, Canada Dr. Sanjay Molur Mr. P. Ilangovan, Chennai, India Wildlife Informaton Liaison Development (WILD) Society & Zoo Outreach Organizaton (ZOO), 12 Thiruvannamalai Nagar, Saravanampat, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641035, Web Design India Mrs. Latha G. Ravikumar, ZOO/WILD, Coimbatore, India Deputy Chief Editor Typesetng Dr. Neelesh Dahanukar Indian Insttute of Science Educaton and Research (IISER), Pune, Maharashtra, India Mr. Arul Jagadish, ZOO, Coimbatore, India Mrs. Radhika, ZOO, Coimbatore, India Managing Editor Mrs. Geetha, ZOO, Coimbatore India Mr. B. Ravichandran, WILD/ZOO, Coimbatore, India Mr. Ravindran, ZOO, Coimbatore India Associate Editors Fundraising/Communicatons Dr. B.A. Daniel, ZOO/WILD, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641035, India Mrs. Payal B. Molur, Coimbatore, India Dr. Mandar Paingankar, Department of Zoology, Government Science College Gadchiroli, Chamorshi Road, Gadchiroli, Maharashtra 442605, India Dr. Ulrike Streicher, Wildlife Veterinarian, Eugene, Oregon, USA Editors/Reviewers Ms. Priyanka Iyer, ZOO/WILD, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641035, India Subject Editors 2016–2018 Fungi Editorial Board Ms. Sally Walker Dr. B. Shivaraju, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India Founder/Secretary, ZOO, Coimbatore, India Prof. Richard Kiprono Mibey, Vice Chancellor, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya Dr. R.K. Verma, Tropical Forest Research Insttute, Jabalpur, India Dr. Robert Lacy Dr. V.B. Hosagoudar, Bilagi, Bagalkot, India Department of Conservaton Biology, Chicago Zoological Society (also known as Dr. Vatsavaya S. Raju, Kakatay University, Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, India the Brookfeld Zoo), Brookfeld, Illinois 60513 USA; and Commitee on Evolutonary Dr. D.J. Bhat, Retd. Professor, Goa University, Goa, India Biology, University of Chicago Plants Dr. Russel Mitermeier Executve Vice Chair, Conservaton Internatonal, Arlington, Virginia 22202, USA Dr. G.P. Sinha, Botanical Survey of India, Allahabad, India Dr. N.P. Balakrishnan, Ret. Joint Director, BSI, Coimbatore, India Prof. Mewa Singh Ph.D., FASc, FNA, FNASc, FNAPsy Dr. Shonil Bhagwat, Open University and University of Oxford, UK Ramanna Fellow and Life-Long Distnguished Professor, Biopsychology Laboratory, Prof. D.J. Bhat, Retd. Professor, Goa University, Goa, India and Insttute of Excellence, University of Mysore, Mysuru, Karnataka 570006, India; Dr. Ferdinando Boero, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy Honorary Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientfc Research, Dr. Dale R. Calder, Royal Ontaro Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Bangalore; and Adjunct Professor, Natonal Insttute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore Dr. Cleofas Cervancia, Univ. of Philippines Los Baños College Laguna, Philippines Dr. F.B. Vincent Florens, University of Mauritus, Mauritus Dr. Ulrike Streicher, DVM Dr. Merlin Franco, Curtn University, Malaysia Wildlife Veterinarian / Wildlife Management Consultant, 1185 East 39th Place, Eugene, Dr. V. Irudayaraj, St. Xavier’s College, Palayamkotai, Tamil Nadu, India OR 97405, USA Dr. B.S. Kholia, Botanical Survey of India, Gangtok, Sikkim, India Dr. Pankaj Kumar, Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden Corporaton, Hong Kong S.A.R., Stephen D. Nash China Scientfc Illustrator, Conservaton Internatonal, Dept. of Anatomical Sciences, Health Dr. V. Sampath Kumar, Botanical Survey of India, Howrah, West Bengal, India Sciences Center, T-8, Room 045, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8081, Dr. A.J. Solomon Raju, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, India USA Dr. Vijayasankar Raman, University of Mississippi, USA Dr. B. Ravi Prasad Rao, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantpur, India Dr. Fred Pluthero Dr. K. Ravikumar, FRLHT, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India Toronto, Canada Dr. Aparna Watve, Pune, Maharashtra, India Dr. Qiang Liu, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Yunnan, China Dr. Martn Fisher Dr. Noor Azhar Mohamed Shazili, Universit Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu, Senior Associate Professor, Batcock Centre for Experimental Astrophysics, Cavendish Malaysia Laboratory, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK Dr. M.K. Vasudeva Rao, Shiv Ranjani Housing Society, Pune, Maharashtra, India Prof. A.J. Solomon Raju, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, India Dr. Ulf Gärdenfors Dr. Mandar Datar, Agharkar Research Insttute, Pune, Maharashtra, India Professor, Swedish Species Informaton Center, SLU, Uppsala, Sweden Dr. M.K. Janarthanam, Goa University, Goa, India Dr. K. Karthigeyan, Botanical Survey of India, India Dr. John Fellowes Dr. Errol Vela, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France Honorary Assistant Professor, The Kadoorie Insttute, 8/F, T.T. Tsui Building, The Dr. P. Lakshminarasimhan, Botanical Survey of India, Howrah, India University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong Dr. Larry R. Noblick, Montgomery Botanical Center, Miami, USA Dr. K. Haridasan, Pallavur, Palakkad District, Kerala, India Dr. Philip S. Miller Dr. Analinda Manila-Fajard, University of the Philippines Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines Senior Program Ofcer, Conservaton Breeding Specialist Group (SSC/IUCN), 12101 Dr. P.A. Sinu, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, Kerala, India Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley, MN 55124, USA Invertebrates Prof. Dr. Mirco Solé Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Vice- Dr. R.K. Avasthi, Rohtak University, Haryana, India coordenador do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Rodovia Ilhéus/Itabuna, Km Dr. D.B. Bastawade, Maharashtra, India 16 (45662-000) Salobrinho, Ilhéus - Bahia - Brasil Dr. Partha Pratm Bhatacharjee, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar, India contnued on the back inside cover Cover: Iberian Lynx kiten in Zocueca, Spain. © Sergio Marijuán. Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 17 February 2020 | 12(2): 15219–15220 ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) PLATINUM OPEN ACCESS DOI: htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.5770.12.2.15219-15220 5770 | Received 11 February 2020 E Foreword to the second special issue on small wild cats Angie Appel 1 & Shomita Mukherjee 2 1 Wild Cat Network, 56470 Bad Marienberg, Germany. 2 Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Anaikaty, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641108, India. 1 [email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected] We are delighted to present the second special Pakistan, it was detected amidst factory buildings. issue on small wild cats that covers seven species with The Asiatc Golden Cat Catopuma temminckii was important updates on their distributon, tenacity and frst reported in 1831 to inhabit the Himalayan foothills in adaptability. Obtaining such informaton is now possible Nepal (Hodgson 1831). In 176 years, it was photographed because of camera trapping becoming afordable and only twice in Nepal, viz, in May 2009 by Ghimirey & Pal popular. The enthusiasm of the authors who contributed (2009) and in November 2017 by Rai et al. (2019) in the to this issue will hopefully inspire you. country’s eastern part. Farther west, it remained elusive Two contributons focus on the Iberian Lynx Lynx untl a team of researchers ventured into the central pardalis, one of the most endangered wild cat species in Himalaya. It was also photographed in far eastern Bhutan the world (Simón 2011). One accounts of a populaton – an account that again reveals its many costumes. that benefts from a long-term conservaton program The Flat-headed Cat Prionailurus planiceps is perhaps in southern Spain, where reintroduced Iberian Lynx the most cryptc small wild cat, as it lives in almost have been setling in agricultural land since 2011. The impenetrable landscapes. Incidental observatons in other contributon sheds light on the trophic niche of peat swamp forests in northern Borneo provide insight an isolated populaton in central Spain. It shows that into its secretve lifestyle. molecular methods are gaining prominence when The Pampas Cat Leopardus colocolo is widely studying cryptc taxa. distributed in South America but was recorded in The European Wildcat Felis silvestris is the only northwestern Peru only in 2016 (Garcia-Olaechea & Wildcat populaton living on a volcanic island (Anile et Hurtado 2016). Both authors have been working in this al. 2009). In 2009, camera traps set up around Mount area ever since and now share their fndings about the Etna in Sicily detected an individual that was again Pampas Cat and another litle known carnivore. photographed in 2018 at the very same spot The Andean Cat Leopardus jacobita is endemic to The Jungle Cat Felis chaus, however, was recorded the highlands of the Andes, where a skin turned up in for the frst tme in a landscape where nobody would an unexpected locaton in northwestern Argentna. have expected it: in a remote valley above 3,000m in the This fnding bridges a gap between two evolutonarily Annapurna Himalaya. On the other hand, in northern