New Cat Species Named for the First Time Since 1926, After Decades of Debate

Scientists have put an end to more than a hundred years of debate about the tiger cat family tree, and in doing so, they’ve uncovered a fresh species of wild cat.

A study published Thursday in Current Biology has determined that what was previously considered a single species of South American tiger cat is actually composed of five separate species. This finding puts an end to a long-standing dispute over how these animals should be classified.

Tilcayo, the Cat Named After Its Own Name

This newly discovered species carries the scientific name Leopardus tilcayo. It is a small, spotted wild cat found within the Yungas cloud forest region of Bolivia. Its common name, “tilcayo.”, comes from what local people call the animal.

According to the research, the Leopardus tilcayo diverged from its relatives 1.4 million years ago. This discovery marks the first new living cat species identified in more than a century, following the description of the Uruguayan pampas cat (Leopardus fasciatus) in 1923.

How They Found the New Species

There is proof of L. tilcayo from just two living specimens, both in Bolivia. One was captured and photographed in its natural habitat. The second resides in captivity at Senda Verde, a sanctuary for trafficked animals in that country.

Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, a biologist and co-author of the study, told Live Science that the captive male, nicknamed Tigrino, is the species’ “type specimen” — the reference individual that defines the whole species.

“It’s smaller than a house cat,” Nogales-Ascarrunz said. She works with Senda Verde, where Tigrino arrived about 10 years ago. “It didn’t look like the other [cats],” she said, “but we didn’t expect a new species itself.”

A single wild creature was captured within the Yungas cloud forest, and when paired with its companion, the two account for every known member of their kind.

Five Species, One Family Tree

A new study has sequenced and analyzed the complete genomes of 38 cat samples from South and Central America, with eight coming from museum specimens. Teeth, bones, muscle tissue, skin and fur were all examined across a wide range of cats, spanning Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Suriname, Guyana and Venezuela.

The comparison of these genomes enabled the researchers to trace the lineage’s history and determine when the species split apart. Their findings point to a group known collectively as tiger cats, which they now conclude consists of five distinct species.

Four of those species had previously been proposed:

• Leopardus guttulus, the southern tiger cat
• Leopardus emiliae, the eastern tiger cat
• Leopardus pardinoides, the clouded tiger cat
• Leopardus tigrinus, the northern tiger cat

Four species were confirmed by the research, with one of them being described for the first time as L. tilcayo. The study also recognized a previously unnamed form within L. tigrinus, designating it as L. tigrinus antisuyo, a population that inhabits Peru.

A Century of Controversy

European naturalists first encountered the tiger cat in French Guiana during the 1775, and throughout the 18th and 19th centuries they found specimens of the animal in several South American nations, giving each a distinct species name.

During the 20th century, scientists started grouping all tiger cats under a single species, L. tigrinus. These animals share a nearly identical appearance, with distinctions between species detectable only through genetic testing or subtle variations in their markings.

According to Fabio Oliveira do Nascimento, a taxonomist at the Museum of Zoology at the University of São Paulo in Brazil who did not take part in the study, the new research sheds light on the long-debated family tree.

“Our understanding of the natural history, evolution and taxonomy of the group has begun to become clearer, resolving long-standing questions while raising new ones,” Nascimento noted.

What We Still Don’t Know

Nogales-Ascarrunz said researchers lack detailed knowledge of how L. tilcayo behaves, what it eats, and where it lives, since it’s a newly discovered species. The immediate goals involve gathering better population counts and clearer estimates of the animal’s natural habitat.

This finding might also alter how conservationists handle the other tiger cats. The IUCN Red List presently lists both the northern and southern tiger cat as vulnerable species with declining numbers.

“Species that are currently considered ‘vulnerable’ under the single label of ‘northern tiger cat’ may increase to ‘endangered’ when assessed on their own,” Jonas Lescroart, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Antwerp in Belgium and co-author of the new study, told Live Science. Accurate population numbers can help governments and environmental agencies implement targeted conservation strategies.

Tiger cats face threats from deforestation, wildlife trafficking and diseases transmitted by domestic dogs. “This discovery is definitely expected to increase conservation attention — or, we hope so,” Lescroart said.

A Century of Waiting

This fresh research marks a turning point for the field of cat biology. The genome project has delivered what it set out to do. The family tree has become easier to read, and each of the five species can be distinguished once more on its own terms.

The conservation effort for L. tilcayo starts at the edges, given that just two known individuals of the species exist. Researchers must first determine where the species occurs, its numbers, and what endangers it before any protection can be put in place.

This newly discovered creature is genuine, tiny, marked with spots, and scarce. Its fate remains unknown, and will depend upon the answers yet to be given.

cat discovery · conservation · genomics · new species · wild cats