Overview
- The peer‑reviewed study published Sept. 17, 2026, in Current Biology formally describes Leopardus tilcayo after whole‑genome and museomic analyses resolved the tiger‑cat (Leopardus) complex into five distinct species.
- Researchers compared complete genomes from 38 Leopardus specimens, including eight museum genomes, and identified the tilcayo lineage from Bolivian Yungas material and two live individuals examined by the team.
- Genetic data show the tilcayo split from other tiger cats about 1.4 million years ago, a level of divergence the authors say supports species status for the lineage.
- One examined live individual serves as the holotype (CBF‑11990) and cannot be returned to the wild, and the authors say their field records are currently limited to two captured cats and a small number of camera‑trap detections.
- The team has notified the IUCN and called for targeted camera trapping, population surveys and habitat protection in the threatened Yungas, because treating each newly recognized lineage separately could raise the conservation status of some taxa.