Felis silvestris Schreber, 1775

W. Christopher Wozencraft, 1993, Order Carnivora, Mammal Species of the World (2 nd Edition), Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 279-348 : 290-291

Felis silvestris Schreber, 1775 . Die Säugethiere, 2(15):pl. 107 (1775]; text 3(23):397[1777].

TYPE LOCALITY: Not given. Fixed by Haltenorth (1953) as "vielleicht Nordfrankreich". Listed by Pocock (1951) as " Germany " .

DISTRIBUTION: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Arabia, Botswana, Chad, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Guinea, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Pakistan, Poland, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Türkistan, United Kingdom, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Introduced to: Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Madagascar.

STATUS: CITES - Appendix II (the domestic cat, Felis catus , is specifically excluded from protection).

SYNONYMS: agrius Bate, 1906; algiricus Fischer, 1829; angorensis Gmelin, 1788; antiquorum Fischer, 1829 ; aureus Kerr, 1792 ; bouvieri Rochebrune, 1883; brevicaudata Schinz, 1844; brockmani Pocock, 1944 ; bubastis Hemprich and Ehrenberg, 1832; caeruleus Erxleben, 1777; caffra A. Smith, 1826; cafra Desmarest, 1822 ; caligata Temminck, 1824; catus Linnaeus, 1758 ; caucasicus Satunin, 1905; caudatus Gray, 1874; cretensis Haltenorth, 1953; cristata Lataste, 1885 ; cumana Schinz, 1844; cyrenarum Ghigi, 1920; daemon Satunin, 1904; domesticus Erxleben, 1777; euxina Pocock, 1943; ferox Martorelli, 1896 ; ferus Erxleben, 1777; foxi Pocock, 1944; grampia Miller, 1907 ; griselda Thomas, 1926; griseoflava Zukowski, 1914; gulata Herman, 1804; haussa Thomas and Hinton, 1921; hispanicus Erxleben, 1777; huttoni Blyth, 1846; iraki Cheesman, 1920; issikulensis Ognev, 1930; japonica Fischer, 1829 ; jordansi Schwarz, 1930; kozlovi Satunin, 1905; longiceps Bechstein, 1800; longipilis Zukowsky, 1915; lowei Pocock, 1944; lybica Forster, 1780 ; lybiensis Kerr, 1792 ; lynesi Pocock, 1944; macrothrix Zukowsky, 1915; madagascariensis Kerr, 1792; maniculata Temminck, 1824; matschiei Zukowsky, 1914 ; mauritana Cabrera, 1906; mediterranea Martorelli, 1896 ; megalotis Müller, 1839 ; mellandi Schwann, 1904; molisana Altobello, 1921; morea Trouessart, 1904; murgabensis Zukowsky, 1914; namaquana Thomas, 1926; nandae Heller, 1913; nesterovi Birula, 1916; nubiensis Kerr, 1792 ; obscura Desmarest, 1822 ; ocreata Gmelin, 1791 ; ornata Gray, 1830; pulchella Gray, 1837 ; pyrrhus Pocock, 1944; reyi Lavauden, 1929; ruber Gmelin, 1788; rubida Schwann, 1904; ruppelii Schinz, 1825; rusticana Thomas, 1928; salvandola Dekeyser, 1950; sarda Lataste, 1885; schnitnikovi Birula, 1914; servalina Jardine, 1834 ; shawiana Blanford, 1876; siamensis Trouessart, 1904; sinensis Kerr, 1792 ; striatus Bechstein, 1800 ; syriaca Fischer, 1829; taitae Heller, 1913; tartessia Miller, 1907 ; torquata Blyth, 1863; tralatitia Fischer, 1829; trapezia Blackler, 1916; tristrami Pocock, 1944; ugandae Schwann, 1904; vernayi Roberts, 1932; vulgaris Fischer, 1829 ; xanthella Thomas, 1926.

COMMENTS: Revised by Ragni and Randi (1986), who included libyca , and by Haltenorth (1953), who included chutuchta, libyca , and vellerosa; however, chutuchta and vellerosa were placed in bieti in Pocock's (1951) revision, provisionally followed here. Includes F. catus (worldwide), which was domesticated from this species ( Corbet, 1978c:181). Ellerman and Morrison-Scott (1951) argued that lybica Foster, 1780 , was a lapsus for libyca ; however, there is no clear internal evidence that the name was misspelled ( Meester et al., 1986). Rosevear (1974), Ansell (1978), Smithers (1983), and Meester et al. (1986) retained lybica as separate from silvestris .