Puma

Belongs within: Felidae.

As recognised by Johnson et al. (2006) on the basis of molecular analysis, the genus Puma includes two modern cat species, the puma Puma concolor and the jaguarundi Puma yagouaroundi, found in North and South America. Both species are darkly spotted when cubs, but become uniformly coloured as they mature. Puma concolor is the second-largest living cat species in the New World after the jaguar Panthera onca, and perhaps the most varied in the range of habitats it can be found in. Puma yagouaroundi is a smaller species, slightly larger than a domestic cat, that is often associated with damp habitats. The genus Puma is also known from the Pliocene and Pleistocene of Eurasia, where it is represented by the puma-like species P. pardoides.

<==Puma Jardine 1834 [incl. Pristinofelis Spillman 1931]C57
    |  i. s.: P. pardoides Owen 1846ME05
    |--P. yagouaroundiJE06
    `--+--Miracinonyx Adams 1979FS15, D07
       |    |--M. inexpectatusD07
       |    `--M. trumaniFS15
       `--*P. concolor (Linné 1771)C57, JE06, C57 [=Felis concolorC57, Leopardus concolorC57, Uncia concolorC57]
             |--P. c. concolor (see below for synonymy)C57
             |--P. c. anthonyi (Nelson & Goldman 1931) [=Felis concolor anthonyi]C57
             |--P. c. araucana (Osgood 1943) [=Felis concolor araucanus]C57
             |--‘Felis’ c. azteca Merriam 1901MB86
             |--P. c. bangsi (Merriam 1901) [=Felis concolor bangsi; incl. F. c. soederstroemii Lönnberg 1913]C57
             |--P. c. borbensis (Nelson & Goldman 1933) [=Felis concolor borbensis]C57
             |--P. c. cabrerae Pocock 1940 [=Felis concolor cabrerae]C57
             |--P. c. capricornensis (Goldman in Young & Goldman 1946) [=Felis concolor capricornensis]C57
             |--‘Felis’ c. coryiUSDI77
             |--‘Felis’ c. costaricensisUSDI77
             |--‘Felis’ c. cougarUSDI77
             |--P. c. greeni (Nelson & Goldman 1931) [=Felis concolor greeni]C57
             |--P. c. hudsoni (Cabrera 1958) [=Felis concolor hudsoni]C57
             |--P. c. incarum (Nelson & Goldman 1929) [=Felis concolor incarum]C57
             |--‘Felis’ c. mayensisG69
             |--P. c. nigra Jardine 1834 (see below for synonymy)C57
             |--P. c. osgoodi (Nelson & Goldman 1929) [=Felis concolor osgoodi]C57
             |--P. c. pearsoni (Thomas 1901) (see below for synonymy)C57
             |--P. c. puma (Molina 1782) [=Felis concolor puma, F. (Uncia) puma]C57
             `--‘Felis’ c. schorgeri Jackson 1955B75

*Puma concolor concolor (Linné 1771) [incl. Felis concolor var. soasoaranna Lesson 1842, F. sucuacuara Liais 1872, F. concolor var. wavula Lesson 1842]^C57

Puma concolor nigra Jardine 1834 non Felis nigra Erxleben 1777 (not preoc. as in dif. gen.) [=Felis concolor acrocodia Goldman 1943]^C57

Puma concolor pearsoni (Thomas 1901) [=Felis concolor pearsoni, F. (Uncia) puma pearsoni; incl. F. puma patagonica Merriam 1901, F. concolor patagonica, F. (Uncia) puma patagonica, Puma puma patagonica]^C57

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[B75] Bowles, J. B. 1975. Distribution and biogeography of mammals of Iowa. Special Publications, The Museum, Texas Tech University 9: 1–184.

[C57] Cabrera, A. 1957. Catalogo de los mamiferos de America del Sur. I (Metatheria—Unguiculata—Carnivora). Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” e Instituto Nacional de Investigacion de Las Ciencias Naturales, Ciencias Zoológicas 4 (1): 1–307.

[D07] Dixon, D. 2007. The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures. Hermes House: London.

[G69] Goodwin, G. G. 1969. Mammals from the State of Oaxaca, Mexico, in the American Museum of Natural History. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 141 (1): 1–269, 40 pls.

[JE06] Johnson, W. E., E. Eizirik, J. Pecon-Slattery, W. J. Murphy, A. Antunes, E. Teeling & S. J. O’Brien. 2006. The Late Miocene radiation of modern Felidae: a genetic assessment. Science 311: 73–77.

[MB86] Matson, J. O. & R. H. Baker. 1986. Mammals of Zacatecas. Special Publications, Museum of Texas Tech University 24: 1–88.

[ME05] Moullé, P.-E., A. Echassoux, F. Lacombat, E. Desclaux & S. Bailon. 2005. L’environnement animal des premiers habitants de l’Europe méditerranéenne: les grands mammifères contemporains de l’homme du Vallonnet, données taxonomiques et biostratigraphiques pour la deuxième moitie du Pléistocène inférieur. BAR International Series 1364: 105–113.

[USDI77] United States Department of the Interior. 1977. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants—republication of list of species. Federal Register 42: 36420–36431.