Panthera pardus ( Linnaeus, 1758 )

Jo, Yeong-Seok, Baccus, John T. & Koprowski, John L., 2018, Mammals of Korea: a review of their taxonomy, distribution and conservation status, Zootaxa 4522 (1), pp. 1-216 : 81-82

Panthera pardus ( Linnaeus, 1758) —Leopard

Felis pardus Linnaeus, 1758 p.41 ; Type locality- Indiis ( Egypt); Won, 1968 p.311.

F. orientalis Schlegel, 1857 p.23 ; Type locality- Korea.

F. villosa Bonhote, 1903 p.475 ; Type locality- Amur Bay, East Siberia .

Pardus orientalis: Kishida & Mori, 1931 p.379 .

F. pardus orientalis: Kuroda, 1938 p.40 ; Won, 1958 p.442; Won, 1967 p.147; Won, 1968 p.312.

Panthera pardus orientalis: Tate, 1947 p.194 ; Ellerman & Morrison-Scott, 1951 p.316; Yoon, 1992 p.115.

Panthera pardus: Corbet, 1978 p.184 ; Han, 1994 p.46; Won & Smith, 1999 p.20; Oh, 2004a p.158.

Range: The original distribution of the leopard in Korea extended throughout the peninsula ( Jo & Baccus 2016). Until the 1990s, a few leopards remained in extreme northern North Korea ( Kim et al. 2015; Fig. 51 ). The only official North Korean government report (Korean Central News Agency 17 March 2009) on the status of this species in North Korea reported occurrences in Mt. Myohyang Nature Reserve, Hyangsan County in 2009.

Remarks: Leopards from Korea, Far East Russia, and northeastern China are classified under Panthera pardus orientalis ( Schlegel, 1857) .

Conservation status: North Korea classified populations as ‘Vulnerable’. The Ministry of Environment in South Korea listed P. pardus as an endangered species in 1997. Despite several unofficial reports of leopards, P. pardus became extinct at least in South Korea, and the NIBR (2012) declared P. pardus in South Korea as ‘Regionally Extinct’. The status of this species in North Korea remains unknown. Radio telemetry studies confirmed that populations exist in the Primorye region of southeastern Russia and Jilin Province of northeast China ( Uphyrkina et al. 2002; Miquelle & Goodrich 2009). Leopards cross between Russia, China and North Korea across the Duman River despite a high and long wire fence marking the boundary ( Nam 2005). However, North Korea has seldom monitored leopards or their habitats along that part of the border in the mountains ( Nam 2005). Unfortunately, wildlife surveys rarely occur in this region. This subspecies was classified and has remained classified as ‘Critically Endangered’ since 1996 by the IUCN; the species is protected by CITES Appendix I.

Figures

FIGURE 51. Range map of Panthera pardus in Korea.