Difference between revisions of "Panthera" - New World Encyclopedia

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'''''Panthera''''' is a [[genus]] of the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Felidae]] (the cats), which contains four well-known living [[species]]: the [[Lion]], the [[Tiger]], the [[Jaguar]], and the [[Leopard]]. The genus comprises about half of the [[Pantherinae]] subfamily, the [[big cat]]s. One meaning of the word '''''panther''''' is to designate cats of this subfamily.  The word is often presumed to derive from Greek ''pan-'' ("all") and ''ther'' ("beast"), but this may be a [[folk etymology]]. Although it came into English through the classical languages, ''panthera'' is probably of [[East Asia]]n origin, meaning "the yellowish animal," or "whitish-yellow".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=panther | title="Panther" | work=Online Etymology Dictionary | publisher=[[Douglas Harper]] | accessdate=2007-11-12}}</ref>
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'''''Panthera''''' is a [[genus]] in the cat family, ''Felidae'', consisting of the four, well-known living species the [[lion]] ''(Panthera leo)'', the [[tiger]] ''(Panthera tigris)'', the [[jaguar]] ''(Panthera onca)'', and the [[leopard]] ''(Panthera pardus)''. Only these four cat species have the anatomical changes enabling them to roar.  
  
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Only these four cat species have the anatomical changes enabling them to [[wiktionary:roar|roar]]. The primary reason for this was assumed to be the incomplete [[ossification]] of the [[hyoid bone]]. However, new studies show that the ability to roar is due to other [[Morphology (biology)|morphological]] features, especially of the [[larynx]]. The [[Snow Leopard]], ''Uncia uncia'', which is sometimes included within ''Panthera'', does not roar. Although it has an incomplete ossification of the hyoid bone, it lacks the special morphology of the larynx.<ref>{{cite book | last = Nowak | first = Ronald M. | title = Walker's Mammals of the World | publisher = [[Johns Hopkins University Press]] | date = 1999 | id = ISBN 0-8018-5789-9}}</ref>
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The ''Panthera'' genus comprises about half of the seven extant species in the [[Pantherinae]] subfamily (known as the "big cats"), the other species belonging to the [[genus|genera]] ''Neofelis'' and ''Uncia''. The name panther sometimes is used to designate collectively cats in this subfamily.
  
 
==Overview==
 
==Overview==
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Only these four cat species have the anatomical changes enabling them to [[wiktionary:roar|roar]]. The primary reason for this was assumed to be the incomplete [[ossification]] of the [[hyoid bone]]. However, new studies show that the ability to roar is due to other [[Morphology (biology)|morphological]] features, especially of the [[larynx]]. The [[Snow Leopard]], ''Uncia uncia'', which is sometimes included within ''Panthera'', does not roar. Although it has an incomplete ossification of the hyoid bone, it lacks the special morphology of the larynx.<ref>{{cite book | last = Nowak | first = Ronald M. | title = Walker's Mammals of the World | publisher = [[Johns Hopkins University Press]] | date = 1999 | id = ISBN 0-8018-5789-9}}</ref>
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The word is often presumed to derive from Greek ''pan-'' ("all") and ''ther'' ("beast"), but this may be a [[folk etymology]]. Although it came into English through the classical languages, ''panthera'' is probably of [[East Asia]]n origin, meaning "the yellowish animal," or "whitish-yellow".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=panther | title="Panther" | work=Online Etymology Dictionary | publisher=[[Douglas Harper]] | accessdate=2007-11-12}}</ref>
 
== Evolution ==
 
== Evolution ==
  

Revision as of 21:34, 8 June 2008

Panthera[1]
Fossil range: Early Pliocene to Recent
Top to bottom: Lion, Tiger, Jaguar, and Leopard
Top to bottom: Lion, Tiger, Jaguar, and Leopard
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Pantherinae
Genus: Panthera
Oken, 1816
Type species
Felis pardus
Linnaeus, 1758

Panthera is a genus in the cat family, Felidae, consisting of the four, well-known living species the lion (Panthera leo), the tiger (Panthera tigris), the jaguar (Panthera onca), and the leopard (Panthera pardus). Only these four cat species have the anatomical changes enabling them to roar.

The Panthera genus comprises about half of the seven extant species in the Pantherinae subfamily (known as the "big cats"), the other species belonging to the genera Neofelis and Uncia. The name panther sometimes is used to designate collectively cats in this subfamily.

Overview

The Felidae family is a part of the order Carnivora within the mammals (Class Mammalia). Members of the family are called cats and sometimes felines. They number about 41 species including large animals such as the lion (Panthera leo) and the tiger (Panthera tigris), as well as smaller ones such as the bobcat (Lynx rufus) and the domestic cat (Felis catus). (Some "small cats," for instance the cougar (Puma concolor), can weigh as much or more as some of the "big cats."

The cat family is usually divided into the "big cats" of the subfamily Pantherinae and the "small cats" of the subfamily Felinae.

    • Subfamily Pantherinae ("big cats")
      • Genus Neofelis
        • Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
        • Bornean Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi)
      • Genus Panthera
      • Genus Uncia
        • Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia)


Only these four cat species have the anatomical changes enabling them to roar. The primary reason for this was assumed to be the incomplete ossification of the hyoid bone. However, new studies show that the ability to roar is due to other morphological features, especially of the larynx. The Snow Leopard, Uncia uncia, which is sometimes included within Panthera, does not roar. Although it has an incomplete ossification of the hyoid bone, it lacks the special morphology of the larynx.[2]

The word is often presumed to derive from Greek pan- ("all") and ther ("beast"), but this may be a folk etymology. Although it came into English through the classical languages, panthera is probably of East Asian origin, meaning "the yellowish animal," or "whitish-yellow".[3]

Evolution

Like much of the Felidae family, Panthera has been subject to much debate and taxonomic revision. At the base of the genus is probably the extinct felid Viretailurus schaubi, which is sometimes also regarded as an early member of the Puma group. Panthera has likely derived in Asia, but the definite roots of the genus remain unclear. The divergence of the Pantherine cats (including the living genera Panthera, Uncia and Neofelis) from the Felinae (including all other living cat species) has been ranked between six and ten Ma[4]. The fossil record points to the emergence of Panthera just 2 to 3.8 million years ago[5].

Morphological and genetic studies have suggested that the tiger was the first of the recent Panthera species to emerge from the lineage[6], but this remains unresolved. The Snow Leopard was seen originally at the base of the Panthera, but newer molecular studies suggest, that it is nestled within Panthera, and may be even a sister species of the Leopard.[6] Many thus place the Snow Leopard within the genus Panthera[4][6][7] but there is currently no consensus whether Snow Leopard should retain its own genus, Uncia[8][9] or be moved to Panthera uncia.[4][6][10][7] A prehistoric feline, probably closely related to the modern Jaguar, is Panthera gombaszogensis, often called European Jaguar. This species appeared first around 1.6 million years ago in what is now Olivola in Italy.

The Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is generally placed at the basis of the Panthera group, but is not included in the genus Panthera itself.[4][6][10][7]

Species, subspecies, and populations

There have been many subspecies of all four Panthera species suggested; however, many of the Leopard and Lion subspecies are questionable. Recently it has been proposed that all sub-saharan populations of Leopards are all the same Leopard subspecies, and all sub-saharan populations of Lions likewise belong to the same Lion subspecies, as they do not have sufficient genetic distinction between them. Some prehistoric Lion subspecies have been described from historical evidence and fossils. They may have been separate species.

The 'Black panther' is not a distinct species but is just the common name for black (melanistic) specimens of the genus, most often encountered in Jaguar and Leopard species.

Taxa

(Extinct species and subspecies are indicated with the symbol †)

  • Genus Panthera[1]
    • Panthera crassidens (probably identical with another felid taxon) †
    • Panthera gombaszoegensis (European jaguar) †
    • Panthera leo (Lion)
      • Panthera leo atrox - American Lion or North American cave lion †
      • Panthera leo azandica - North East Congo lion
      • Panthera leo bleyenberghi - Katanga lion or Southwest African lion
      • Panthera leo europaea - European lion †
      • Panthera leo fossilis - Early Middle Pleistocene European cave lion †
      • Panthera leo hollisteri - Congo lion
      • Panthera leo kamptzi
      • Panthera leo krugeri - South African lion or Southeast African lion
      • Panthera leo leo - Barbary lion †
      • Panthera leo melanochaita - Cape lion †
      • Panthera leo massaica - Masai lion
      • Panthera leo melanochaita
      • Panthera leo nyanzae
      • Panthera leo persica - Asiatic lion
      • Panthera leo sinhaleyus - Sri Lanka lion or Ceylon lion. †
      • Panthera leo spelaea - Eurasian cave lion †
      • Panthera leo senegalensis - West African lion, or Senegal lion
      • Panthera leo vereshchagini - East Siberian and Beringian cave lion †
    • Panthera onca (Jaguar)
      • Panthera onca arizonensis
      • Panthera onca centralis
      • Panthera onca goldmani
      • Panthera onca hernandesii
      • Panthera onca onca
      • Panthera onca palustris
      • Panthera onca paraguensis
      • Panthera onca peruviana
      • Panthera onca veracrucis
      • Panthera onca mesembrina - Pleistocene South American Jaguar †
      • Panthera onca augusta - Pleistocene North American Jaguar†
    • Panthera palaeosinensis (Pleistocene pantherine; Probably ancestral to the tiger) †
    • Panthera pardoides (a primitive pantherine) †
    • Panthera pardus (Leopard)
      • Panthera pardus delacouri (Indo-Chinese Leopard)
      • Panthera pardus fusca (Indian Leopard)
      • Panthera pardus japonensis (North China Leopard)
      • Panthera pardus kotiya (Sri Lanka Leopard)
      • Panthera pardus melas (Java Leopard)
      • Panthera pardus nimr (Arabian Leopard)
      • Panthera pardus orientalis (Amur Leopard)
      • Panthera pardus pardus (African Leopard)
      • Panthera pardus saxicolor (Persian Leopard)
      • Panthera pardus sickenbergi (European leopard} †
      • Panthera pardus tulliana (Anatolian Leopard)
    • Panthera (Viretailurus) schaubi (prehistoric felid) †
    • Panthera schreuderi (prehistoric felid) † - probably junior synonym of European Jaguar [11]
    • Panthera tigris (Tiger)
      • Panthera tigris altaica (Siberian Tiger)
      • Panthera tigris amoyensis (South China Tiger)
      • Panthera tigris balica (Balinese Tiger) †
      • Panthera tigris corbetti (Indochinese Tiger)
      • Panthera tigris jacksoni (Malayan Tiger) [12]
      • Panthera tigris sondaica (Javan Tiger) †
      • Panthera tigris sumatrae (Sumatran Tiger)
      • Panthera tigris tigris (Bengal Tiger)
      • Panthera tigris virgata (Caspian Tiger) †
    • Panthera toscana (Tuscany lion or Tuscany jaguar) † - probably junior synonym of European Jaguar
    • Panthera youngi (a prehistoric Chinese lion-like felid) †

References
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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 W. C. Wozencraft, "Order Carnivora," in D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder (eds.), Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. (Washington : Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993). ISBN 1560982179.
  2. ↑ Nowak, Ronald M. (1999). Walker's Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9. 
  3. ↑ "Panther". Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Johnson, W.E., Eizirik, E., Pecon-Slattery, J., Murphy, W.J., Antunes, A., Teeling, E. & O'Brien, S.J. (2006). The Late Miocene radiation of modern Felidae: A genetic assessment.. Science 311: 73–77.
  5. ↑ Turner A (1987) New fossil carnivore remains from the Sterkfontein hominid site (Mammalia: Carnivora). Ann Transvall Mus 34:319–347
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Yu L & Zhang YP (2005). Phylogenetic studies of pantherine cats (Felidae) based on multiple genes, with novel application of nuclear beta-fibrinogen intron 7 to carnivores. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 35 (2): 483–495. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Yu" defined multiple times with different content
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Dianne N. Janczewski, William S. Modi, J. Claiborne Stephens, and Stephen J. O'Brien (1996). Molecular Evolution of Mitochondrial 12S RNA and Cytochrome b Sequences in the Pantherine Lineage of Felidae. Molecular Biology and Evolution 12 (4): 690.
  8. ↑ Cat Specialist Group 2002. [1]. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species., World Conservation Union. Retrieved on 11 May 2006.
  9. ↑ Felid Taxon Advisory Group: Alan H. Shoemaker (1996) Taxonomic and Legal Status of the Felidae
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Johnson WE & Obrien SJ (1997). Phylogenetic reconstruction of the Felidae using 16S rRNA and NADH-5 mitochondrial genes. Journal of Molecular Evolution 44: S98-S116.
  11. ↑ O'Regan, H & Turner, A (2004). Biostratigraphic & palaeoecological implications of new fossil felid material from the Plio-Pleistocene site of Tegelen, the Netherlands. Palaeontology 47 (5): 1181-1193.
  12. ↑ Luo SJ, Kim JH, Johnson WE, Walt Jvd, Martenson J, et al. (2004). Phylogeography and Genetic Ancestry of Tigers (Panthera tigris). PLoS Biol 2 (12): e442.
  • A. Turner: The big cats and their fossil relatives. Columbia University Press, 1997.ISBN 0-231-10229-1

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