Acinonyx

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Acinonyx
Temporal range: PlioceneHolocene, 3–0  Ma
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Cheetah Botswana.jpg
Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Acinonyx
Brookes, 1828
Species
Synonyms
  • CynailurusWagner, 1830
  • CynofelisLesson, 1842
  • GueparBoitard, 1842
  • GuepardaGray, 1843
  • GuepardusDuvernoy, 1834
  • Paracinonyx Kretzoi, 1929

Acinonyx is a genus within the Felidae family. [1] The only living species of the genus, the cheetah (A. jubatus), lives in open grasslands of Africa and Asia. [2]

Contents

Several fossil remains of cheetah-like cats were excavated that date to the late Pliocene and Middle Pleistocene. [3] These cats occurred in Africa, parts of Europe and Asia about 10,000 years ago. Several similar species classified in the genus Miracinonyx lived in North America at the same time; these may have been more closely related to the genus Puma . [2]

Taxonomy

Acinonyx was proposed by Joshua Brookes in 1828. [4]

Between the late 18th century and the early 20th century, the following Acinonyx species and subspecies were described: [1]

In 1993, Acinonyx was placed in the monophyletic subfamily Acinonychinae. Molecular phylogenetic analysis has shown that it is the sister group of the genus Puma, and it is now placed within the subfamily Felinae. [1]

In addition, the following fossil Acinonyx species were described:

The "Linxia Cheetah" ("A. kurteni") was initially described by Christiansen and Mazák in 2009 on the basis of a skull from Pliocene strata in China, and touted as the most primitive member of the genus. [13] In 2012, "A. kurteni" was invalidated as a species when the holotype was determined to be a forgery composed of Miocene-aged fragments. [14] [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Tapirus is a genus of tapir which contains the living tapir species. The Malayan tapir is usually included in Tapirus as well, although some authorities have moved it into its own genus, Acrocodia.

<i>Miracinonyx</i> Extinct genus of mammal

Miracinonyx is an extinct genus of felids belonging to the subfamily Felinae that was endemic to North America from the Pleistocene epoch and morphologically similar to the modern cheetah, although its apparent similar ecological niches have been considered questionable due to anatomical morphologies of the former that would have limited the ability to act as a specialized pursuit predator. The genus was originally known from fragments of skeletons, but nearly complete skeletons have been recovered from Natural Trap Cave in northern Wyoming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felinae</span> Subfamily of Felidae

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest African cheetah</span> Subspecies of carnivore

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<i>Acinonyx pardinensis</i> Extinct species of carnivore

Acinonyx pardinensis, sometimes called the Giant cheetah, is an extinct felid species belonging to the genus Acinonyx, closely related to the cheetah, native to Eurasia during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs. It was substantially larger than the living cheetah.

<i>Acinonyx kurteni</i> Discredited fossil specimen

"Acinonyx kurteni", or the Linxia cheetah, is a discredited fossil specimen of an extinct cheetah discovered in China. The scientific name was assigned for the skull that was originally described to be that of an extinct species of cheetah, endemic to Asia during the Late Pliocene sub-epoch. It was estimated to have lived around 2.2 to 2.5 Ma BP, existing for approximately 0.3 million years.

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Acinonyx intermedius is a fossil species of felid belonging to the cheetah genus Acinonyx. It was described by paleontologist Thenius in 1954. It is sometimes considered part of Acinonyx pardinensis as A. p. intermedius.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeast African cheetah</span> Subspecies of carnivore

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeast African cheetah</span> Subspecies of carnivore

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Sivapanthera is a prehistoric genus of felid described by Kretzoi in 1929. Species of Sivapanthera are closely related to the modern cheetah but differ from modern cheetahs by having relatively longer brain cases, flatter foreheads, narrower nostrils and larger teeth. In many ways, skulls of Sivapanthera show similarity to that of the puma, or even those of Panthera. Scholars differ on the validity of this genus, while some think that it should be treated as a distinct genus, others think that its members should be treated as members of the Acinonyx genus, or even as subspecies of Acinonyx pardinensis.

References

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  2. 1 2 Krausman, P. R. & Morales, S. M. (2005). "Acinonyx jubatus" (PDF). Mammalian Species (771): 1–6. doi:10.1644/1545-1410(2005)771[0001:aj]2.0.co;2. S2CID   198969000. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  3. Hemmer, H.; Kahlke, R.-D.; Keller, T. (2008). "Cheetahs in the Middle Pleistocene of Europe: Acinonyx pardinensis (sensu lato) intermedius (Thenius, 1954) from the Mosbach Sands (Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany)". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen. 249 (3): 345–356. doi:10.1127/0077-7749/2008/0249-0345.
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  7. Fitzinger, L. (1855). "Bericht an die kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenchaften über die von dem Herrn Consultatsverweser Dr. Theodor v. Heuglin für die kaiserliche Menagerie zu Schönbrunn mitgebrachten lebenden Thiere". Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe. 17: 242–253.
  8. Hilzheimer, M. (1913). "Über neue Gepparden nebst Bemerkungen über die Nomenklatur dieser Tiere". Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin (5): 283–292.
  9. 1 2 Croizet, J. B.; Jobert, A. C. G. (1862). Recherches sur les ossemens fossiles du département du Puy-de-Dôme. Paris: Chez les principaux libraires.
  10. Thenius, E. (1954). "Gepardreste aus dem Altquartär von Hundsheim in Niederösterreich". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Monatshefte: 225–238.
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  12. Jiangzuo, Q.; Wang, Y.; Madurell-Malapeira, J.; Bartolini Lucenti, S.; Li, S.; Wang, S.; Li, Z.; Yang, R.; Jia, Y.; Zhang, L.; Chen, S.; Jin, C.; Wang, Y.; Liu, J. (2024). "Massive early Middle Pleistocene cheetah from eastern Asia shed light onto the evolution of Acinonyx in Eurasia". Quaternary Science Reviews. 332. 108661. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108661.
  13. Christiansen, P.; Mazák, J. H. (2009). "A primitive Late Pliocene cheetah, and evolution of the cheetah lineage". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 106 (2): 512–515. Bibcode:2009PNAS..106..512C. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0810435106 . PMC   2626734 . PMID   19114651. (Retracted, see doi:10.1073/pnas.1211510109, PMID   22908293,  Retraction Watch)
  14. Knevitt, O. (2011). "Five Greatest Palaeontology Fakes Of All Time #5: The Linxia Cheetah". Science 2.0. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  15. Mazák, J. H. (2012). "Retraction for Christiansen and Mazák. A primitive Late Pliocene cheetah, and evolution of the cheetah lineage". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 109 (37): 15072. Bibcode:2012PNAS..10915072.. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1211510109 . PMC   3443189 . PMID   22908293.