Northern Tiger Cat (Leopardus tigrinus) Classification

The evolutionary history and taxonomy of the Leopardus tigrinus species complex have been studied based on several approaches, mostly employing genetic and morphological data, leading to distinct classification schemes. We approached this problem from an ecological perspective, with 2 main goals: (i) to evaluate ecological niche differences among regional L. tigrinus populations to determine the extent of ecological divergence among them; and (ii) to identify environmental barriers to historical dispersal that could have driven differentiation among the proposed groups.

We modeled the ecological niche of all taxonomic/geographic groups proposed so far to comprise the L. tigrinus complex using the Maximum Entropy algorithm, and evaluated geographic and ecological niche differences among them. Furthermore, we investigated possible environmental barriers to historical dispersal that could have driven differentiation among regional groups. We evaluated 4 hypothetical barriers across 3 time periods to assess their potential historical effect.

We found high ecological divergence between northeastern tigrina populations and the northern Andean and Central American tigrinas. Other groups within the L. tigrinus complex are less divergent. In addition, the Guiana Shield tigrina, where the type locality of the species is located, seems to be ecologically similar to populations from northeastern Brazil while also showing some overlap with Andean populations. The Panama center, the Llanos of Colombia and Venezuela, and the Amazon region were identified as historical barriers for tigrina dispersal across all time periods.

The inferred historical barriers and ecological divergence observed in this study contribute to the inference of evolutionary differentiation among geographic groups comprising the L. tigrinus complex, revealing areas of consistently low habitat suitability that have likely contributed to divergence among regional populations.

Bonilla, Alejandra & Sartor, Caroline & Fox Rosales, Lester & Feijó, Anderson & Ramírez Fernández, José & Brenes-Mora, Esteban & Mooring, Michael & Blankenship, Steven & Catalina, Sánchez-Lalinde & Nascimento, Fabio & Zug, Rebecca & Oliveira, Marcelo & D. Marinho, Paulo & Marinho, Dantas & Ferreira, Guilherme & Solari, Sergio & Oliveira, Tadeu & Eizirik, Eduardo. (2024). Ecological niche modeling of the Leopardus tigrinus complex sheds light on its elusive evolutionary history. Journal of Mammalogy. 1-12. 10.1093/jmammal/gyae074.

Recently, the tiger-cat species complex was split into Leopardus tigrinus and Leopardus guttulus, along with other proposed schemes. We performed a detailed analysis integrating ecological modeling, biogeography, and phenotype of the four originally recognized subspecies-tigrinus, oncilla, pardinoides, guttulus-and presented a new multidimensional niche depiction of the species.

Species distribution models used > 1400 records from museums and photographs, all checked for species accuracy. Morphological data were obtained from institutional/personal archives. Spotting patterns were established by integrating museum and photographic/camera-trap records.

Principal component analysis showed three clearly distinct groups, with the Central American specimens (oncilla) clustering entirely within those of the Andes, namely the pardinoides group of the cloud forests of the southern Central-American and Andean mountain chains (clouded tiger-cat); the tigrinus group of the savannas of the Guiana Shield and entral/northeastern Brazil (savanna tiger-cat); and the guttulus group in the lowland forests of the Atlantic Forest domain (Atlantic Forest tiger-cat). This scheme is supported by recent genetic analyses. All species displayed different spotting patterns, with some significant differences in body measurements/proportions.

The new distribution presented alarming reductions from the historic range of - 50.4% to - 68.2%. This multidimensional approach revealed a new species of the elusive and threatened tiger-cat complex.

de Oliveira, T.G et al.
Ecological modeling, biogeography, and phenotypic analyses setting the tiger cats' hyperdimensional niches reveal a new species
2024 Scientific Reports (14): 1-19

In today's increasingly degraded world, private lands are becoming integral components of wildlife conservation. The Caatinga biome possesses the largest tropical dry forest in the Americas; however, it has experienced high levels of habitat loss. Natural vegetation cover in this biome is highly fragmented, and the few protected areas tend to be privately-owned.

In this context, carnivores are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic threats. Identifying factors that influence carnivore habitat selection in privately-owned areas is crucial for effective conservation actions. To this end, we assessed the habitat preferences of northern tiger cats (Leopardus tigrinus), jaguarundis (Herpailurus yagouaroundi), crab-eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous), and crab-eating raccoons (Procyon cancrivorus) on a private reserve in the Caatinga.

We sampled the area with camera traps during a 4-year period and examined habitat use patterns through occupancy models. Caatinga cover was strongly favoured by northern tiger cats. Areas near human household had higher jaguarundi occupancy and crab-eating fox detection. Edge effects did not influence any of the species.

The results suggest that in the absence of poaching and provided there is enough natural vegetation cover left, private lands indeed have potential conservation value for some carnivorous species. Nevertheless, because these areas tend to be small, connectivity with larger habitat patches is important for long-term conservation.

Fox-Rosales, L.; de Oliveira, T.G.
Habitat use patterns and conservation of small carnivores in a human-dominated landscape of the semiarid Caatinga in Brazil
2022  Mammalian Biology 102 (10) 

Understanding the distribution patterns of threatened species is central to conservation. The Amazonian distribution of the northern tiger cat (N-tiger cat, Leopardus tigrinus) and its interspecific relationship with the ocelot, its potential intraguild killer, are intriguing. Here, we combined presence/absence records with species distribution models (SDMs) to determine N-tiger cat occurrence in the Amazon. We also modeled ocelot density from 46 published estimates.

The N-tiger cat's presence in the Amazon was negatively influenced by ocelot density and net primary productivity and positively influenced by savannas and precipitation in the driest month. The best-fitting model predicted highly patchy N-tiger cat occurrence over an area of 236,238.67 km2, almost exclusively in savanna enclaves. Additionally, 312,348 camera trap-days at 49 sites in the Amazon revealed no N-tiger cats. The ocelot densities were significantly higher in areas with denser vegetation cover and warmer habitats, with predicted densities ≥ 0.6 ind/km2 throughout most of the biome. The lowest ocelot densities (≤ 0.06 ind/km2) were observed along the predicted range of N-tiger cats.

Our findings highlight that the N-tiger cat's presence in the Amazon is restricted to savannas and highly influenced by ocelot density, emphasizing the importance of including species interactions in SDMs.

de Oliveira, T.G.; Fox-Rosales, L.A.; Paemelaere, E.A.D.; de Barros Ferraz, K.M.P.M.
The dominant mesopredator and savanna formations shape the distribution of the rare northern tiger cat (Leopardus tigrinus) in the Amazon

2022  Scientific Reports (12): 1-10

The persistence of coat color polymorphisms - such as the coexistence of melanistic and "wild-type" coat color - is an ongoing evolutionary puzzle. We tested the predictions of Gloger's rule and the Temporal Segregation hypothesis that propose that melanistic individuals will (a) occur more frequently in closed tropical forest versus open habitat due to camouflage and thermoregulation advantages and (b) be more active during brighter times of the circadian and lunar cycle because black pigmentation is cryptic under bright illumination.

Based on 10 years of camera trap records of jaguar and oncilla from dense tropical forest in Costa Rica, we compared activity and relative abundance of non-melanistic wild-type morphs (rosetted or spotted) versus melanistic morphs. Twenty-five percent of jaguar records in dense forest were melanistic compared with the global average of 10% in both open and closed habitats; 32% of oncilla records were melanistic compared with 18% overall in Brazil.

Overlap analysis indicated that melanistic jaguars were more active during daylight hours compared with non-melanistic jaguars, which were more nocturnal and crepuscular. Likewise, melanistic oncillas were significantly more diurnal than non-melanistic oncillas; melanistic oncillas were also more active during full moon, while non-melanistic oncillas were less active.

These results imply that melanistic jaguar and oncilla enjoy the adaptive benefits of superior camouflage when inhabiting dense forest and accrue a fitness advantage when hunting during conditions of brighter illumination. If true, natural selection would ensure that melanistic individuals persist when dense forest is retained but may be threatened by deforestation and accelerating human presence.

Mooring, M.S.; Eppert, A.A.; Botts, R.T.
Natural selection of melanism in Costa Rican jaguar and oncilla: a test of Glogers's rule and the temporal segregation hypothesis
2020  Tropical Conservation Science (13): 1-15