Panthera pardus ssp. melas
| Kingdom |
Phylum |
Class |
Order |
Family |
| ANIMALIA |
CHORDATA |
MAMMALIA |
CARNIVORA |
FELIDAE |
| Scientific Name: |
Panthera pardus ssp. melas
|
| Species Authority: |
G. Cuvier, 1809 |
|
Common Name/s:
|
| Taxonomic Notes: |
Panthera pardus melas was recognized on the basis of molecular markers by Miththapala et al. (1996) and Uphyrkina et al. (2001). The Javan Leopard was highly distinctive from mainland Asian forms which may indicate that it has been separate for hundreds of thousands of years. Meijaard (2004) hypothesized that leopards migrated from South Asia to Java during the Middle Pleistocene along a land bridge that bypassed Sumatra and Borneo. |
Assessment Information
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| Red List Category & Criteria: |
Critically Endangered
C2a(i)
ver 3.1
|
| Year Published: |
2008 |
| Assessor/s: |
Ario, A., Sunarto, S. & Sanderson, J. |
| Reviewer/s: |
Nowell, K., Breitenmoser-Wursten, C., Breitenmoser, U. (Cat Red List Authority) & Hoffmann, M. (Global Mammal Assessment Team) |
| Contributor/s: |
|
Justification:
Leopard density in Java's Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park was estimated at one individual per 6 km² (Ario 2006) and in Gunung Halimun-Salak National Park at one individual per 6.5 km² (Ario 2007). In Halimun-Salak National Park a similar density was obtained in an earlier study of one individual per 6.7 km² (Harahap and Sakaguchi 2003). The leopard is known to occur in other national parks including Ujung Kulon NP, Gunung Gede Pangrango NP, Gunung Halimun-Salak NP, Ceremai NP, Merbabu NP, Merapi NP, Bromo Tengger Semeru NP, Meru Betiri NP, Baluran NP, and Alas Purwo NP. Altogether, total remaining habitat is estimated at just 2,267.9 – 3,277.3 km², and applying these densities a population range of 363-525 is obtained (A. Ario pers. comm. 2007).
In terms of conserving genetic diversity, population biologists prefer to work with a number that approximates the actual breeding population, the number of animals which raise offspring to reproductive adulthood. This is the concept of effective population size, the size of an ideal population (in which every animal reproduces itself) which maintains the same genetic diversity as the real population, and is equivalent to the number of breeding animals per generation. Based on several felid studies, 50% of the actual population is used to estimate the effective population size (Nowell et al. 2007). Therefore the number of mature breeding Javan leopards is likely fewer than 250, with no subpopulation having an effective population size larger than 50.
Santiapillai and Ramono (1992) estimated the Javan leopard population at 350-700, based on extrapolation of density estimates. The population is believed to be declining due to habitat loss, poaching, and prey base depletion (A. Ario, Sunarto pers. comm. 2007).
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| History: |
| 1996 |
– |
Endangered
|
| 1994 |
– |
Indeterminate
(Groombridge 1994)
|
|
Geographic Range
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Population
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| Population: |
Population estimates are not certain, but certainly less than 250 mature individuals (possibly even less than 100)
|
| Population Trend: |
Decreasing
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Habitat and Ecology
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| Major Threat(s): |
Human population growth and loss of habitat due to agricultural expansion.
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