The Corsican wildcat is an isolated
feral cat (''Felis catus'') population that used to be considered a
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
of the
African wildcat (''Felis lybica''), but is now thought to have been introduced to
Corsica
Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
around the beginning of the first millennium.
In 2019, several newspapers reported on the supposed discovery of the Corsican wildcat as a previously unknown cat species, calling it "cat-fox" ( co, ghjattu-volpe). As of 2021, a description for this animal as a supposed species is being drafted.
Taxonomy
The
scientific name
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
''Felis reyi'' was proposed by
Louis Lavauden in 1929 who described a skin and a skull of a female cat specimen from
Biguglia and considered it a new
species.
It was reclassified as a subspecies of the African wildcat by
Reginald Innes Pocock
Reginald Innes Pocock F.R.S. (4 March 1863 – 9 August 1947) was a British zoologist.
Pocock was born in Clifton, Bristol, the fourth son of Rev. Nicholas Pocock and Edith Prichard. He began showing interest in natural history at St. Edward ...
who reviewed ''
Felis'' skins in the collection of the
Natural History Museum, London.
Following
zooarchaeologic research in Corsica, it was regarded to have been introduced to the island during the
Roman Empire, likely originating from domestic cat stock.
As of 2017, it is no longer considered a valid species or subspecies.
However, in January 2023, a scientific paper was published with results of genetic testing on Corsican wildcats, finding they were genetically distinct from both the European wildcat and domestic cat species.
Description
The Corsican wildcat was described as being a darker than the African wildcat with a shorter tail and dark brown on the backs of the ears.
See also
*
Sardinian lynx
References
{{feline-stub
Wildcats
Mammals described in 1929
Endemic fauna of Corsica