Molecular Markers and Genetic Diversity in Neotropical Felids

Abstract

Felines are important representatives of the Class Mammalia and the 38 existing species of felids occur naturally in almost all areas of the world except in some insular regions as Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand, Japan, Madagascar, Oceania, Andes and some Caribbean islands (Nowak, 1999; Johnson et al., 2006). The Neotropical region (covers the southern part of North America, Central America and South America) is occupied by 10 recognized cat species that are divided into three clades evolutionarily distinct, which have been distinguished using a variety of molecular genetic techniques. The first clade, ocelote lineage [Leopardus pardalis (Linnaeus, 1758)] that comprises all the species of the genus Leopardus. The second clade, puma lineage [Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771)] that comprises the two species of the genus Puma. The third clade, Panthera lineage is represented in this region by jaguar [Panthera onca (Linnaeus, 1758)] (Johnson et al., 2006). There are eight of these species in Brazil: Leopardus pardalis (ocelot), Leopardus wiedii (margay), Leopardus tigrinus (oncilla), Leopardus geoffroyi (Geoffrey’s cat), Leopardus colocolo (colocolo), Puma yagouaroundi (jaguarundi), Puma concolor (cougar) and Panthera onca (jaguar) (Oliveira, 1994). The Oreailurus jacobita (andean mountain cat) and Lynchailurus colocolo (pampas cat) are the other species of ocelot lineage that occur in other South American regions.