THE SYSTEMATIC STATUS OF THE MOUNTAIN 

 LION OF CALIFORNIA 



BY 



JOSEPH GEINNELL and JOSEPH DIXON 

 (Contribution from ttie Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California) 



As far as we can learn from the literature no one has hitherto 

 made any special effort to determine the systematic status of the 

 mountain lions inhabiting the rather distinct biotic division of western 

 North America known as the Californian fauna. C. Hart Merriam, 

 in his important revisionary paper (1901), refers to California only 

 incidentally (p. 590) as included in the geographic range of his Felis 

 hippolestes ohjmpus. Satisfactory material was evidently not then 

 available for determining the exact relationships of the Californian 

 animal. The collection gathered during recent years in the California 

 Museum of Vertebrate Zoology now warrants attention to the subject, 

 and as a result of some considerable study the present writers find 

 that there are good grounds for recognizing a new race, as follows : 



Felis oregonensis calif ornica May, revived name 

 California Mountain Lion 



Felis concolor (Eichardson, 1839, p. 6), and of many subsequent authors. 

 Felis Calif ornica (May, 1896, p. 22) : first use of this name. 

 Felis oregonensis (Merriam, 1899, p. 104), and of some other authors. 

 Felis hippolestes olympus (Merriam, 1901, p. 590), part, as far as California 



is concerned. 

 Felis oregonensis oregonensis (Grinnell, 1913, p. 297), and of some other 



authors. 



Basis of present description. — Male, mature adult, skin and com- 

 plete skeleton ; no. 31252, Mus. Vert. Zool. ; ' ' Lynchburg ' ' [more 

 exactly, 4300 feet altitude at head of Brushy Creek, a branch of the 

 Middle Fork of the American River, 8^/2 miles east-southeast of 

 Michigan Bluff] , Placer County, California ; July 21, 1920 ; collected 

 by Jay C. Bruce and Joseph Dixon ; orig. no. 7924, J. Dixon. 



Diagnosis. — A cat of the Felis concolor group, nearest related to 

 Felis oregonensis oregonensis Rafinesque (see Stone, 1899, pp. 34-35). 

 Differs from the latter form in slightly paler tone of coloration and in 

 some restriction of dark markings, but most especially in cranial 



