Felis silvestris ssp. bieti
| Kingdom |
Phylum |
Class |
Order |
Family |
| ANIMALIA |
CHORDATA |
MAMMALIA |
CARNIVORA |
FELIDAE |
| Scientific Name: |
Felis silvestris ssp. bieti |
| Infra-specific Authority: |
Milne-Edwards, 1892 |
Common Name/s:
| English |
– |
Chinese Desert Cat, Chinese Alpine Steppe Cat, Chinese Mountain Cat, Chinese Steppe Cat, Grass Cat |
| French |
– |
Chat De Biet |
| Spanish |
– |
Gato De Biet, Gato Del Desierto De China |
|
| Synonym/s: |
Felis bieti
|
| Taxonomic Notes: |
Long considered a separate species having a close relationship to the Wildcat, Felis silvestris, based on morphology (Garcia-Perea 2000, Wozencraft 2005). Based on genetic analysis, Driscoll et al. (2007) and Eizirik et al. (2008) classified it as a Wildcat subspecies, F. silvestris bieti. Estimated time of divergence was recent (230,000 years BP), and further study is warranted before this classification can be definitely accepted. |
Assessment Information
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| Red List Category & Criteria: |
Vulnerable
C2a(ii)
ver 3.1
|
| Year Assessed: |
2008 |
| Assessor/s |
Sanderson, J., Mallon, D.P. & Driscoll, C. |
| Evaluator/s: |
Nowell, K., Breitenmoser-Wursten, C., Breitenmoser, U. (Cat Red List Authority) & Hoffmann, M. (Global Mammal Assessment Team) |
Justification:
The Chinese mountain cat has a restricted distribution in China, occurring on the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau at elevations from 2,500-5,000 m (He et al. 2004). There is little information about its ecology and status (Yin et al. 2008, Wozencraft et al. 2008), but it is generally considered rare (Nowell and Jackson 1996). It is threatened primarily by large-scale poisoning campaigns targeting pikas, presumably their main prey (Nowell and Jackson 1996, He et al. 2004, Chen et al. 2005, Yin et al. 2008). Skins have also been seen in trade (Nowell and Jackson 1996, Chen et al. 2005). Its effective population size may be fewer than 10,000 mature breeding individuals, with a declining trend due to loss of prey base and persecution, and it may largely exist as a single interconnected subpopulation. Further information on distribution and status may warrant reclassification to a higher category of threat (IUCN Cats Red List workshop 2007).
|
| History: |
| 2002 |
– |
Vulnerable
|
| 1996 |
– |
Data Deficient
|
| 1994 |
– |
Insufficiently Known
(IUCN)
|
|
Geographic Range
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| Countries: |
Native:
China (Gansu - Presence Uncertain, Nei Mongol - Presence Uncertain, Ningxia - Presence Uncertain, Qinghai, Shaanxi - Presence Uncertain, Sichuan - Presence Uncertain, Tibet [or Xizang] - Presence Uncertain, Xinjiang - Presence Uncertain)
|
| Range Map: |
(click map to view full version)
|
Population
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| Population Trend: |
Decreasing
|
Habitat and Ecology
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