Molecular evidence for species-level distinctions in clouded leopards

This study used multiple genetic markers to compare mainland and Sunda island clouded leopards and found divergence comparable to that between well-recognized cat species. The authors showed that clouded leopards from Borneo and Sumatra differ deeply from mainland populations, supporting recognition of two species, the mainland Neofelis nebulosa and the Sunda Neofelis diardi. The genetic distance implied a separation of over a million years, far greater than typical subspecies-level differences. This work, published alongside a companion morphological study, drove the formal split that the Cat Classification Task Force later endorsed. It is a model example of integrative taxonomy in cats, where independent molecular evidence revealed cryptic species diversity hidden within what had been treated as a single, variable species.