''Felis'' is a genus of small and medium-sized cat species native to most of Africa and south of 60° latitude in Europe and Asia to Indochina. The genus includes the

domestic cat The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members o ...

. The smallest ''Felis'' species is the black-footed cat with a head and body length from . The largest is the jungle cat with a head and body length from . Genetic studies indicate that the Felinae genera ''Felis'', ''

Otocolobus The Pallas's cat (''Otocolobus manul'', also known as the manul, is a small wild cat with long and dense light grey fur. Its rounded ears are set low on the sides of the head. Its head-and-body length ranges from with a long bushy tail. It is ...

'' and '' Prionailurus'' diverged from a Eurasian progenitor of the

Felidae Felidae () is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a felid (). The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to the ...

about 6.2 million years ago, and that ''Felis'' species split off 3.04 to 0.99 million years ago.

Etymology

The generic name ''Felis'' is derived from Classical Latin ''fēlis'' meaning "cat, ferret".

Taxonomy

Carl Linnaeus considered ''Felis'' to comprise all cat species known until 1758. Later taxonomists split the

cat family Felidae () is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a felid (). The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to the do ...

into different genera. In 1917, the British zoologist

Reginald Innes Pocock Reginald Innes Pocock F.R.S. (4 March 1863 – 9 August 1947) was a British zoologist. Pocock was born in Clifton, Bristol, the fourth son of Rev. Nicholas Pocock and Edith Prichard. He began showing interest in natural history at St. Edward ...

revised the genus ''Felis'' as comprising only the ones listed in the following table. Estimated

genetic divergence Genetic divergence is the process in which two or more populations of an ancestral species accumulate independent genetic changes (mutations) through time, often leading to reproductive isolation and continued mutation even after the populations hav ...

times of the listed species are indicated in million years ago (Mya), based on analysis of autosomal,

xDNA xDNA (also known as expanded DNA or benzo-homologated DNA) is a size-expanded nucleotide system synthesized from the fusion of a benzene ring and one of the four natural bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. This size expansion produ ...

, yDNA and mtDNA gene segments. Pocock accepted the Pallas's cat as the only member of the genus ''Otocolobus''. Other scientists consider it also a ''Felis'' species. Several scientists consider the Chinese mountain cat a subspecies of ''F. silvestris''.

Phylogeny

The phylogenetic relationships of living ''Felis'' species are shown in the following cladogram:

Fossil ''Felis'' species

Fossil ''Felis'' species include: * '' Felis lunensis'' ( Martelli, 1906)

Characteristics

''Felis'' species have high and wide skulls, short jaws and narrow ears with short tufts, but without any white spots on the back of the ears. Their pupils contract to a vertical slit. A black cat from Transcaucasia described in 1904 as ''F. daemon'' by Satunin turned out to be a feral cat, probably a

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

of wildcat and domestic cat. The Kellas cat is a hybrid between domestic cat and European wildcat occurring in Scotland. The

Corsican wildcat The Corsican wildcat is an isolated feral cat (''Felis catus'') population that used to be considered a subspecies of the African wildcat (''Felis lybica''), but is now thought to have been introduced to Corsica around the beginning of the firs ...

is considered to have been introduced to Corsica before the beginning of the 1st millennium. A genetic study of a dozen individuals showed that they are closely related to the African wildcat originating in the Middle East.

References

External links

* * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q228283 Mammal genera Messinian first appearances Extant Miocene first appearances Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Felines