Phylogenetic systematics of North American Pseudaelurus

This systematic study examined the North American species long grouped under Pseudaelurus, the assemblage of stem cats that bridged the earliest felids and the later radiation of modern cats and sabertooths. By analysing cranial and dental characters, the author clarified relationships within this paraphyletic grouping, proposing taxonomic revisions that recognized distinct lineages among the Miocene material. The work helped untangle how the early felid radiation unfolded after cats first dispersed into North America, identifying which Pseudaelurus-grade taxa lie near the origins of the Felinae and Machairodontinae. It remains an important reference for understanding the deep structure of the cat family tree and the morphological transitions that gave rise to all later felids.