North Chinese Leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis)

[BorneanTiger]

(07-20-2017, 03:18 AM)Ngala Wrote: This thread is dedicated to the North-Chinese Leopard. Share photos, videos, data and all information about these leopards.

The North-Chinese Leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis) is an endangered leopard subspecies that inhabits the internal lands of the central and north eastern China. 

In 1998 the population was estimated around 1000 individuals; in 2015, is estimated a total population of 174-348 individuals (Laguardia et al., 2015). Unfortunately, the distribution is highly fragmented and few leopard are isolated in nature reserves and in a remote areas. In 1998 the population is estimated about 1000 individuals. This subspecies have lost the 98% of his historical range distribution.

The habitat destruction and fragmentation, the killings due to conflict, a low prey base and poaching for wildlife trade, is the causes of his decline.

China is the nation (the only nation) that hosts the most number of subspecies of leopards: 

• North Chinese Leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis) that is present in the central part of China;
• Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) in north east China, at the border with Russia and North Corea;
• Indochinese Leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri) in south west, at the border with Laos and Myanmar (south of the Yunnan province and in the Guangdong region);
• Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) that inhabits the high altitude regions of south central Tibet and Himalaya, including the forests of the mount Everest.
  

In the east of the Tibet region (Xizang), there is also present a recently discovered population of leopards, that need a major investigation to clarify the subspecies. Laguardia et al., based on the continuos range distribution and similar habitat consider it Panthera pardus japonensis.

This is a map provided by Laguardia et al., 2015 with the current distribution of leopards in China:

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North Chinese Leopard from Zhouzhi National Reserve, Qinling mountains (Shaanxi province).

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North Chinese Leopard caught with camera trap in Shuishui River Reserve. Credits to Zhou Zhefeng.

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North Chinese Leopard. I found in this chinese site this locality: "Nanjing Xi'an Nature Reserve - Tin Mountain National". Anyone can confirm me? Peter, you know information about this area? @peter 

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North Chinese Leopard caught with camera trap in Guanyinshan Nature Reserve (Shaanxi province).

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As I mentioned in the main thread, in 2017, the Cat Specialist Group (Pages 73–75) revised subspecies of felids like the leopard, and according to them, the Amur and North Chinese leopards are the same subspecies (Panthera pardus orientalis), partly considering that they both inhabit northern China or northeastern Asia: https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/hand...sAllowed=y

(From top to bottom) Amur leopard at Colchester Zoo (by William Warby) vs North Chinese leopard at Tierpark Hellabrunn (by Rufus46): 

*This image is copyright of its original author

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The CSG also said that the Sinai (Panthera pardus jarvisi) and Arabian leopards (Panthera pardus nimr) could be the same subspecies as African leopards (Panthera pardus pardus), and all other leopards in Asia and European Russia (which has Caucasian leopards (Panthera pardus ciscausia / tulliana)), including the Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera parsus kotiya), could be one subspecies (Panthera pardus fusca), with the exception of the Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas):

"Luo et al. (2014) published a further molecular study which included more samples from Indochina and the Malay Peninsula. The phylogeographical patterns are not clear for all putative subspecies. For example, P. p. kotiya is close to East Asian leopards based on mtDNA, but groups with P. p. fusca based on microsatellites (Uphyrkina et al. 2001). P. p. saxicolor also seems to group differently depending on the analysis used (Uphyrkina et al. 2001, Luo et al. 2014). Luo et al. 2014 show that P. p. fusca is diphyletic based on mtDNA, which was not found in previous studies. Khorozyan et al. (2006) analysed the skull morphometrics of southwest Asian leopards, and concluded that saxicolor and ciscaucasica were consubspecific, but retained tulliana and millardi as distinct. However, sample sizes were very small for some of these putative subspecies. Rozhnov et al. (2011) examined sequences of mtDNA (NADH5) and 11 microsatellites from southwest Asian leopards. They concluded that all were consubspecific from Afghanistan through Iran to the Caucasus, but no western Turkish specimens (tulliana) were analysed. Here japonensis is included in orientalis; there is no clear biogeographical barrier between these two forms which appear to form a cline in northeastern Asia. As the molecular differences between continental Asian leopards are very small compared to differences in Javan leopards (P. p. melas; Wilting et al. 2016), there could be a case for including all Asian subspecies, excluding melas, in a single Asian subspecies. These conflicting results from different studies suggest that more comprehensive sampling is required from throughout the range, taking advantage of museum specimens of known provenance. Until such a study is carried out, we propose the following conservative arrangement of subspecies:

Panthera pardus pardus (Linnaeus, 1758). Distribution: Africa. Comment: Although there are two principal mtDNA clades in Africa, they both occur in southern Africa and appear to be partly sympatric. Thus it would appear that no subspecies can be distinguished within Africa. However, more comprehensive sampling is needed.

Panthera pardus tulliana (Valenciennes, 1856; 1039), including ciscaucasica, saxicolor. Type locality: Ninfi, village situé à huit lieues est de Smyrne [near Izmir, Turkey]. Holotype: MNHN-ZM-MO-1849-20 mounted skin (skull inside). Distribution: Turkey, Caucasus, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Comment: This is the earliest name for leopards from South West Asia, and hence includes saxicolor and ciscaucasica. If tulliana proves to be distinct from other southwest Asian leopards, ciscaucasica is the earliest available name.

Panthera pardus fusca (Meyer, 1794). Distribution: Indian subcontinent, Burma and China.

Panthera pardus kotiya (Deraniyagala, 1949). Distribution: Sri Lanka.

Panthera pardus delacouri (Pocock, 1930b). Distribution: SE Asia and probably southern China

Panthera pardus orientalis (Schlegel, 1857), including japonensis. Distribution: Eastern Asia from Russian Far East to China.

Panthera pardus melas (Cuvier, 1809; 152). Distribution: Java. Comment: Distinct ancient island form (Meijaard 2004, Gippoliti & Meijaard 2007, Uphyrkina et al. 2001, Wilting et al. 2016).

Panthera pardus nimr (Hemprich and Ehrenberg, 1832). Distribution: Arabian Peninsula. Comment: Distinctively small form, but may prove to be consubspecific with subspecies pardus, although should be retained as a separate management unit if so."

As for Central Chinese leopards, like at Wolong Reserve in Sichuan, where they may attack sub-adult pandas, their exact taxonomic status is unclear, being alternatively grouped under the P. p. japonensis, P. p. delacouri (http://www.biosoil.ru/files/00001386.pdf), or even P. p. fusca (https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article...m=fulltext).

Stuffed leopard for testing pandas at Wolong Nature Reserve, Alamy: https://www.alamy.com/panda-keepers-take...47115.html

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Brakefield noted that just as there is a North Chinese leopard, there is also a South Chinese leopard, which was "much more golden yellow" in colour, had shorter fur, and which people thought might be of the Indian (Panthera pardus fusca) or Indochinese (Panthera pardus delacouri) subspecies, or a subspecies of its own (possibly Panthera pardus sinensis), and Uphyrikina et al. said "Teeth of ancient leopards found in southern China and dated from the Middle of Pleistocene were similar to the recent subspecies P. p. sinensis; this led to the hypothesis of local evolution in eastern and southeastern Asia (Hemmer 1976)." Reply