Leopardus guigna (Molina, 1782)
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6376899 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6772732 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/5923B274-4675-C816-E2FC-CE78F7BE96F1 |
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treatment provided by |
Conny |
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scientific name |
Leopardus guigna |
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Kodkod
French: Kodkod / German " Chilenische Waldkatze / Spanish: Huina
Other common names: Guigna
Taxonomy. Felis guigna Molina, 1782 ,
Valdivia, Chile.
Sometimes placed in genus Oncifelis . Molecular and morphological data show that present species and L. geoffroyi are closed related sister taxa. Analyses of mtDNA lineages show that these two species last shared a common ancestor about 2-3 million years ago. Two subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
L. g. guigna Molina, 1782 — S Chile and Argentina.
L. g. tigrillo Schinz, 1844 — C Chile. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 39-51 cm, tail 19.5-25 cm. Adult males heavier (1.7-3 kg) than adult females (1.3-2. 1 kg). Gray-brown coat marked with small, round, black spots and flecks. Forehead and neck with dark spots and streaks. Tail thick, bushy, marked with series of narrow black bands. White central spot on backs of ears. Melanism common.
Habitat. Southern beech forest and temperate rain forest. A study population on the north-west coast of Isla Grande de Chiloé, in Chile, used fragmented remnants of natural forest interspersed with ravines and steep coastal forest strips. They avoided agricultural fields, pastures, and cleared areas. They moved between forest tracts by travelling along vegetated corridors. Below about 2000 m.
Food and Feeding. Diet includes birds, primarily ground-dwelling thrushes ( Turdidae ), lapwings (Charadiidae), tapaculos ( Rhinocryptidae ), domestic geese, and chickens. Other prey include small rodents ( Rattus spp.) and lizards ( Iguanidae ).
Activity patterns. Adept climbers, often use tree branches as travel paths, escape cover, rest sites, and for hunting. Rest during the day along streamsin thick vegetation. Active at all times of the day and night, but generally more active at night.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Males on Isla Grande de Chiloé sometimes crossed home ranges in a single day. Movement rates for males averaged 62 m per hour, females 36 m per hour. In the fragmented forest, home range size of males was 357 ha; females in same area had home ranges of 126 ha. Home range size of males in unfragmented habitat was 179 ha. Little overlap among home ranges of same sex animals on Isla Grande de Chiloé; male ranges ovelapped those of females. In Laguna San Rafael National Park in south Chile, mean home range size was 150 ha, with no significant differences between sexes.
Breeding. The gestation period is 72-78 days,litter size varies from 1-4. Longevity is up to eleven years.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. Has one of the smallest geographic ranges of any felid species and the species 1s restricted to dense forest areas. Logging and forest clearance are increasingly fragmenting its habitat.
Bibliography. Dunstone, Durbin, Wyllie, Freer et al. (2002), Dunstone, Durbin, Wyllie, Rose & Acosta (1998), Greer (1965), Johnson, Pecon-Slattery et al. (1999), Nowell & Jackson (1996), Osgood (1943), Sanderson, J.G. al. (2002), Scosta-Jamett & Simonetti (2004), Sunquist & Sunquist (2002).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
