A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: the Cat Classification Task Force final report

The landmark synthesis that re-anchored modern felid taxonomy. A 16-member IUCN Cat Specialist Group task force reviewed morphological, molecular, biogeographic, and behavioral evidence across all living cats to resolve decades of inconsistent species and subspecies lists. They recognized roughly 14 genera and 41 species, and deliberately collapsed many weakly supported subspecies, applying explicit criteria (concordant, independent lines of evidence) rather than single traits. High-profile decisions include the two-subspecies tiger arrangement, two lion subspecies, and a trimmed leopard list. The report is conservative by design, flagging cases needing further study. It now serves as the default reference for Red List assessments, CITES discussions, and zoo studbooks, making it essential reading for anyone tracking why cat names keep changing.