Geoffroy's cat in Salta Province, a potentially interesting area for subspecies

Abstract

The biggest part of Geoffroy’s cat’s Oncifelis geoffroyi distribution is located in Argentina. In the nortwesthern part, three subspecies exist on a broad scale. Nevertheless, due to few records, their limits and possible superposition are not clear on a finer scale. On top of that, taxonomic confusion exists to assign subspecies. In this study we realized a small camera trap survey as part of a broader project. Surprisingly we obtained two records of Geoffroy’s cat with a coat pattern different from the pattern known from earlier records, assigned to the subspecies O. geoffroyi salinarum. Because it is not possible to assign our photos to subspecies, we conclude that taxonomic, genetic and more morphologic studies are needed to confirm subspecies present in this interesting area and to update species and subspecies distribution maps.