Turkestan lynx explained

The Turkestan lynx (Lynx lynx isabellinus), also known as the Central Asian, Tibetan or Himalayan lynx, is a subspecies of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) distributed in Central Asia and in the Himalayas.

Taxonomy

Felis isabellina was the scientific name proposed by Edward Blyth in 1847, upon his examination of a lynx skin from Tibet.^[1] Lynx lynx wardi was proposed by Richard Lydekker in 1904, though many authors considered it synonymous to L. lynx isabelinus.^[2] Further investigations are needed to determine its status as a separate subspecies or not. Currently, wardi is sometimes regarded as a synonym to isabellinus.

Distribution and habitat

The Turkestan lynx occurs in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Ladakh, Nepal, Bhutan and the Tibetan region of China. It lives mostly at higher elevations, in open woodland and steppe habitats with rocky slopes, caves and multiple safe hiding places.^[3] In the Indian Himalayas, individuals were sighted at an elevation of in Hemis National Park, and at on the Changtang Plateau, both in Ladakh.^{[4] [5]}

Conservation

The Turkestan lynx has been protected under Schedule I of India's Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.^[5] In Afghanistan, it is considered threatened.^[6] It is listed as Near Threatened on Pakistan's and Mongolia's national Red Lists.^{[7] [8]} It is listed as Endangered in China,^[9] Turkmenistan,^[10] Tajikistan^[11] and as Vulnerable in Nepal^[12] and Uzbekistan.^[13]

Notes and References

1. Blyth, E. . 1847 . Report of Curator, Zoological Department, for September 1847 . The Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal . 16 . 2 . 1176–1182 .
2. Book: A Guide to the Mammals of China . 2008 . Smith, A. T. . Xie, Y. . Princeton University Press . Princeton . Wozencraft, W. C. . Genus Lynx . 396–397 . 978-1400834112 . https://books.google.com/books?id=ka-9f68nPT4C&pg=PA397.
3. Lynx lynx . Breitenmoser, U. . Breitenmoser-Würsten, C. . Lanz, T. . von Arx, M. . Antonevich, A. . Bao, W. . Avgan, B. . amp . e.T12519A121707666 . 2015.
4. Sharma, S. . amp . Dutta, T. . 2005 . Sighting of Lynx (Lynx lynx isabellinus) in Hemis National Park, Ladakh . Zoo's Print . 20 . 4 . 14.
5. Kotia, A. . amp . Angmo, K. . Rawat, G. S. . 2011 . Sighting of a Eurasian lynx near Chushul village in Ladakh, India . Cat News . 54 . 18–19.
6. Book: Habibi, K. . 2003 . Mammals of Afghanistan . Coimbatore, India . Zoo Outreach Organization . Himalayan Lynx Lynx lynx isabellina (Linnaeus, 1758) . 49–50.
7. Book: Sheikh, K. M. . Molur, S. . Status and Red List of Pakistan's Mammals. Based on the Conservation Assessment and Management Plan . 2004 . IUCN Pakistan . Islamabad . Himalayan lynx Lynx lynx isabellina Blyth, 1847 . 230.
8. Book: Clark, E.L. . amp . Javzansuren, M. . Dulamtseren, S. . Baillie, J.E.M. . Batsaikhan, N. . Samiya, R. . Stubbe, M. . 2006 . Mongolian Red List of Mammals . Regional Red List Series . 1 . Zoological Society of London . London . 93. Lynx lynx (Linnaeus, 1758) . 95–96 .
9. Red List of China's Vertebrates . 2016 . Biodiversity Science . 24 . 5 . 500–551 . Jiang, Z. . Jiang, J. . Wang, Y. . Zhang, E. . 10.17520/biods.2016076 . free .
10. Book: Annabayramov, B. . amp . Saparmyradov, J. . Karyyeva, O. . Potayeva, A. . Atayev, K. . Kokanova, E. . Durdyev, S. . Rustamov, E. . Shammakov, S. . 2011 . Third . The Red Data Book of the Republic of Turkmenistan . ((2. Invertebrate and vertebrate animals)) . Ilim . Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
11. Book: Kurbonov, S. . amp . Toshev, A. . 2015 . The Red Data Book of Tajikistan: Flora and Fauna . Second . Donish . Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
12. Book: Jnawali, S.R. . Baral, H.S. . Lee, S. . Acharya, K.P. . Upadhyay, G.P. . Pandey, M. . Shrestha, R. . Joshi, D. . Laminchhane, B.R. . Griffiths, J. . Khatiwada, A.P. . Subedi, N. . Amin, R. . 2011 . The Status of Nepal Mammals . The National Red List Series . Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation . Kathmandu, Nepal . amp . 9780900881602 . Lynx lynx (Linnaeus, 1758) . 82–83 .
13. Book: Azimov, J.A. . 2009 . The Red Data Book of the Republic of Uzbekistan . Tashkent, Uzbekistan . Chinor ENK, Uzbek Zoology Institute . ((2. Animals)) . Esipov A.V. . Lynx . 192–193.