neofelis

Deforestation is the foremost threat for both Neofelis species.

For almost 90 years, the classification of Neofelis as a monotypic genus was widely accepted.

In 2006, it was classified as a separate species, distinct from its continental relative Neofelis nebulosa.

Both Neofelis species are the smallest of the big cats, and are not closely related to the leopard.

In December 2006, the genus Neofelis was reclassified into two distinct species:

Between 1821 and 1862, several felids have been described from Southeast Asia that are subordinated under Neofelis today:

Clouded Leopard, Neofelis nebulosa (southeast and south Asia)

Bornean Clouded Leopard Neofelis diardi (2007)

Felidae is the scientific name of the cat family, comprising Panthera, Acinonyx, Neofelis, Lynx and Leopardus.

Both Neofelis species are listed in CITES Appendix I and are protected over most of their range.

Zoologists have found the animal difficult to classify in either the genus Felis or Panthera and have given it a new genus, hence Neofelis nebula.

The Sunda clouded leopard was long regarded as a subspecies of the clouded leopard, and named Neofelis nebulosa diardi.

When viewing only postcranial remains of similar-toothed machairodonts, their forms were comparatively similar to modern pantherines (genera Panthera, Neofelis, and Uncia).

The scientific name Neofelis is a composite of the Greek word νεο- meaning "new", and the Latin word feles meaning "cat", so it literally means "new cat".

The genus Neofelis contains two species, the Clouded leopard (N. nebulosa) and the Sunda clouded leopard (N. diardi).

Today the Formosan clouded leopard is considered a subspecies of Neofelis nebulosa under the trinomial Neofelis nebulosa brachyurus.

Reginald Innes Pocock recognized the taxonomic classification of Neofelis in 1917, but admitted only the single species Neofelis nebulosa with several subspecies and macrocelis as the type specimen.

The divergence of the pantherine cats (including the living genera Panthera, Uncia, and Neofelis) from the subfamily Felinae (including all other living cat species) has been ranked between six and ten million years ago.

Though scientists have known of its existence since the early 19th century, it was positively identified as being a distinct species in its own right in 2006, having long been believed to be a subspecies of the mainland Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa).

Among the several species of mammal found in Nepal, notable are the Bengal Fox, Bengal Tiger, Clouded Leopard, Corsac Fox, Indian Rhinoceros, Marbled Cat, Neofelis, Red Panda, Snow leopard, Tibetan Fox, and Tibetan Wolf.

Gray described the genus Neofelis as having an elongate skull, a broad and rather produced face on the same plane as the forehead, a large and elongate nasal, a moderate orbit, a truncated lower jaw and very long conical upper and lower canine teeth with a sharp cutting hinder edge.

The generic name Neofelis was first proposed by John Edward Gray in 1867 as comprising two species; Neofelis macrocelis occurring in the Himalaya, Malacca, and Thailand, and Neofelis brachyurus occurring in the former Formosa.