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Ghoddousi, A.; Hamidi, A.K.; Ghadirian, T.; Bani'Assadi, S.
The status of wildcat in Iran - a crossroad of subspecies?
2016  Cat News Special Issue (10): 60-63

The wildcat _Felis silvestris_ is one of the least-known felid species of Iran with limited information on its taxonomy, distribution, ecology and threats available. In this paper, for the first time we conducted a review on the literature and other available resources to create baseline information for future research and conservation. Also, we gathered recent records of wildcat presence from across the country. By analysing 57 images of this species, contrary to earlier beliefs, wildcat in Iran appears to solely belong to the Asian (_ornata_) subspecies. However, future genetic analyses are essential to backup this finding and to clarify the taxonomic status of wildcats in south-west Asia. Wildcat was recorded in 27 out of 31 provinces of Iran, in a variety of natural habitats to the vicinity of human landscapes, except for extremely high altitudes or deserts. Two newly established provinces (Alborz and Qom) are suspected to have wildcat populations, but lacked any reports. However, there have been no historical or recent records from Gilan and Mazandaran Provinces, which are mainly covered by the Hyrcanian forests. The reason behind such distribution pattern requires further investigations. Road accidents, poaching as a retaliatory action against poultry depredation and by-catch in illegal snares are the main reported threats to the existence of wildcats in the country. Potential threats from shared diseases and hybridisation with domestic cats are unknown and needs further research.

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