Felinae

Felinae
	An ocelot, a European wildcat, a cougar and a cheetah
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Feliformia
Family:	Felidae
Subfamily:	Felinae

The Felinae is a subfamily of the Felidae family. It includes the small cats and a few medium-large cats, especially the cougar (Puma concolor) and the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus).

Genetic classification

There is now a precise classification for the living members of the subfamily based on genetic research. These genetic lineages have been identified:

Lineage 1A: Pardofelis (marbled cat) and Catopuma (Bornean bay cat, and Asian golden cat)
Lineage 1B: Leptailurus (serval), Caracal, Profelis (African golden cat)
Lineage 2: Leopardus: small spotted cats of Central and South America. Best known is the ocelot; also the guigna, margay, and Andean mountain cat
Lineage 3: Lynx
Lineage 4: Puma, Acinonyx (the cheetah)
Lineage 5: Prionailurus (spotted Asian wildcats), Otocolobus (Pallas's cat), leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata), rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus), fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus), flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps)
Lineage 6: Felis: the domestic cat and its nearest relatives. Widespread in Africa, Asia and Europe, notably the jungle cat, sand cat, and the wildcat. African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica), black-footed cat (Felis negripes), Chinese mountain cat (Felis bieti)

↑ Wozencraft W.C. 2005. Order Carnivora. In Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn M. (eds) Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. 3rd ed, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. 2 vols, 532–548 ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0
↑ Johnson W.E; Eizirik E; Pecon-Slattery J.; et al. (2006). "The late Miocene radiation of modern Felidae: a genetic assessment". Science. 311 (5757): 73–7. Bibcode:2006Sci...311...73J. doi:10.1126/science.1122277. PMID 16400146. S2CID 41672825.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
↑ O'Brien SJ, Johnson WE (2005). "Big cat genomics". Annual Rev Genomics Hum Genet. 6 (1): 407–29. doi:10.1146/annurev.genom.6.080604.162151. PMID 16124868.
↑ Johnson, W. E.; O'Brien, S. J. (1997). "Phylogenetic reconstruction of the Felidae using 16S rRNA and NADH-5 mitochondrial genes". Journal of Molecular Evolution. 44 Suppl 1: S98-116. Bibcode:1997JMolE..44S..98J. doi:10.1007/pl00000060. PMID 9071018.
↑ "Often overlooked, small wild cats are important and in trouble". Mongabay.