AHMEDABAD: The Asiatic lions of Gujarat may no longer be counted vastly different from their counterparts in central and west Africa. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recently made changes in the binomial nomenclature, clubbing these groups due to genetic similarity.
All the majestic cats found in these three regions are now identified as Panthera leo leo, according to a recent report by the Cats Specialist group, IUCN.
This report has revised the taxonomy of the Felidae and classified the lions into two sub-species namely Panthera leo leo and Panthera leo melanochaita. Earlier, there were 11 sub-species, including Pathera leo persica, that was used to identify Asiatic lions.
The report of the IUCN states that lions of central and west Africa and India; formerly found throughout North Africa, SE Europe, the middleeast, Arabian peninsula, south west Asia are now classified as Panthera leo leo, while Panthera leo melanochaita is for the lions found in southern and eastern Africa.
The report further states that lions in Asia, which are often referred to as being distinct sub-species have only colonised south west Asia within the last 20,000 years. This is far earlier than suggestions that lions were introduced to India from East Africa from the 17th Century by the Mughals. A study analysed craniometric variation, although some populations were poorly represented, example West Africa, and found a broadly similar pattern of variation with the main differentiation in skull shape being between lions in southern and eastern Africa and those in the rest of the range including India. Studies in 2011 and 2016 have confirmed this basic pattern of differentiation into two subspecies based on genetic data; one from south and east Africa and another from the rest of the range.
“In my recent research paper, I have suggested Panthera leo leo as the name for the Asiatic lions. The Cats Group had now classified Asiatic lion as Panthera leo leo which was earlier identified as Panthera leo persica. Their research (by Cats Group) which is based on genetic studies, shows that lions in Gujarat have more similarity with African lions which was the base for recent re-classification,” says Meena Venkataraman, a researcher on lion and scientist associated with Carnivore Conservation and Research, Mumbai.
Y V Jhala, a lion expert and researcher at Wildlife Institute of India (WII), said, “There is a paper published by IUCN Cats specialist group. The group has revised the classification.”
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/iucn-clubs-indian-lions-with-two-african-lion-groups/articleshow/76151974.cms
All the majestic cats found in these three regions are now identified as Panthera leo leo, according to a recent report by the Cats Specialist group, IUCN.
This report has revised the taxonomy of the Felidae and classified the lions into two sub-species namely Panthera leo leo and Panthera leo melanochaita. Earlier, there were 11 sub-species, including Pathera leo persica, that was used to identify Asiatic lions.
The report of the IUCN states that lions of central and west Africa and India; formerly found throughout North Africa, SE Europe, the middleeast, Arabian peninsula, south west Asia are now classified as Panthera leo leo, while Panthera leo melanochaita is for the lions found in southern and eastern Africa.
The report further states that lions in Asia, which are often referred to as being distinct sub-species have only colonised south west Asia within the last 20,000 years. This is far earlier than suggestions that lions were introduced to India from East Africa from the 17th Century by the Mughals. A study analysed craniometric variation, although some populations were poorly represented, example West Africa, and found a broadly similar pattern of variation with the main differentiation in skull shape being between lions in southern and eastern Africa and those in the rest of the range including India. Studies in 2011 and 2016 have confirmed this basic pattern of differentiation into two subspecies based on genetic data; one from south and east Africa and another from the rest of the range.
“In my recent research paper, I have suggested Panthera leo leo as the name for the Asiatic lions. The Cats Group had now classified Asiatic lion as Panthera leo leo which was earlier identified as Panthera leo persica. Their research (by Cats Group) which is based on genetic studies, shows that lions in Gujarat have more similarity with African lions which was the base for recent re-classification,” says Meena Venkataraman, a researcher on lion and scientist associated with Carnivore Conservation and Research, Mumbai.
Y V Jhala, a lion expert and researcher at Wildlife Institute of India (WII), said, “There is a paper published by IUCN Cats specialist group. The group has revised the classification.”
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/iucn-clubs-indian-lions-with-two-african-lion-groups/articleshow/76151974.cms
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