Taxonomic Status of the Pardel Lynx

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Taxonomic Status of the Pardel Lynx

CAT NEWS
Issue 13, Autumn 1990

By Lars Werdelin *

The taxonomic status of the pardel lynx, which is found in the Iberian peninsula, has been the subject of considerable discussion over the past 40-odd years. To the majority of pre-war taxonomists there was little doubt that it represented a distinct species.

However, the balance of opinion in this matter swung sharply with the publication of a highly influential book by Ellerman and Morrison-Scott. [Ellerman, J.R. & Morrison-Scott, T.C.S. 1951: Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian Mammals 1758 to 1946. 810 pp. British Museum (Natural History), London.] These authors synonymized the pardel lynx (Lynx pardinus). I will use Lynx as a separate genus here, (although this is a separate bone of contention among taxonomists) with the northern or Eurasian lynx, L. lynx. This synonymy was created without explicit justification, but has had inordinate effects on the taxonomy of the genus since then.

Since that time, the opinion of Ellerman and Morrison-Scott has been followed by nearly all Anglo-Saxon writers e.g. Corbet, G.M. & Hill, J.E. 1986: A World List of Mammalian species, 2nd ed. 226pp. British Museum (Natural History), London, another highly influential work, and Tumlison, R. 1987. Felis lynx, Mammalian Species 289:1-8. An exception is Wozencraft, W.C. 1989: Classification of the Recent Carnivora. In Gittleman, J.L. (ed.) Carnivore Behavior, Ecology and Evolution, 569-593, Chapman and Hall, London.

Unfortunately, the morphological distinction between L. lynx and L. pardinus has been confounded with the morphological distinction between L. lynx and L. canadensis. The two species are much closer, both morphologically and phylogenetically, than are L. lynx and L. pardinus, yet these two species pairs are often discussed in the same terms in the literature. I wish, however, to make explicit the fact that, while the specific status of L. canadensis is debatable, and to a great extent dependent on personal judgment and what weight one wishes to attach to the question of allopatry in this context, the distinction between L. lynx and L. pardinus is based on ample evidence, both from morphology and paleontology.

Morphologically, the two species differ in many respects, and it is perhaps not coincidental that nearly all authorities who have dealt first hand with the pardel lynx have considered it a distinct species (see references in Beltran, J.F. 1987: Base bibliografica de especies amenzadas: Lince iberico. 51pp. Junta de Andalucia, Agencia de Medio Ambiente). Important distinguishing characters are the width of the palate, the development of the metaconid on the lower carnassial and the convexity of the interorbital area (Werdelin, L. 1981: The Evolution of Lynxes. Annales Zoologici Fennici 18, 37-71; Garcia Perea R. et al. 1987: Review of the biometrical and morphological features of the skull of the Iberian lynx, Lynx pardina (Temminck 1824) Saugetierkundliche Mitteilungen 1985:146-156.). Palaeontologically, the two species have clearly distinct histories (Werdelin ibid.) and have in the past been partially sympatric without any evidence for hybridization. Indeed new paleontological evidence indicates the presence of these two species at a single locality. Although the subsequent evidence is meagre, it seems quite clear that with the expansion of the range of L. lynx, the range of L. pardinus shrank correspondingly. The current distribution of the pardel lynx in Spain represents a true relict population(s).

In summary, there is little doubt, based on current research, that L. pardinus is a valid species, and one of the rarest living felid species. It should be recognized as such in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Mammals and in CITES.

For taxonomic purists it may be worthwhile noting that, since the genus name Lynx is masculine, the proper name for the pardel lynx is Lynx pardinus. If Lynx is not recognized, however, the name becomes Felis pardina.

* Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm S-104 05.

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