Recognition of Coat Pattern Variation and Broken Tail Phenomenon in the Asiatic Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii)

SIMPLE SUMMARY: A variety of new survey technologies are continuously being developed and used in wildlife monitoring. Rapidly advancing and widely used camera trap survey technology has helped to capture data and gain insights into many species. The Eastern Himalayas is a global biodiversity hotspot with exceptionally high species diversity. The Asian golden cat is widely distributed in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Nature Reserve. It inhabits seasonal rain forests from 100 m above sea level to the Rhododendron forest up to 3500 m above sea level. Coat pattern variation in the Asian golden cat is particularly prominent in this region. The common color type is the most widely distributed, followed by nine other types. We found 10 coat pattern variations and two coat patterns with a broken tail made up 0.32% of independent photos taken during a long-term nine-year monitoring program. The variation in coat patterns is indicative of the geography of the region. Environmental conditions regulate and activate the genetic diversity of Asian golden cat phenotypes. This study further strengthened the understanding of the basic knowledge of golden cat color types and lays the foundation for exploring the diversity of golden cat color types at the molecular level. ABSTRACT: The Asian golden cat (Catopuma temminckii) is the most varied wild cat species in terms of coat color. Understanding coat pattern variation will help to elucidate the mechanisms behind it as well as its relationship with the environment. We conducted long-term (2013–2021) monitoring of Asian golden cats in the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon National Nature Reserve, Tibet, using camera traps at 283 points over 89,991 camera days. A total of 620 cat photos were recorded, including 344 (55.48%) with recognizable color patterns. Vector graphics of the coat patterns were extracted from the field image data, which revealed 10 color types in the ratio common: cinnamon: reddish-brown long hair: ocelot: blackening: melanistic: gray: brown: brown short hair: pure black = 123:76:57:35:22:8:7:7:5:4. The genes for coat pattern variation are widespread in the Asian golden cat population and are relatively stable. The increase in population size intraspecific competition has led to the tail break phenotype in individual cats. The gene encoding for tail breakage in Asian golden cats remains unknown. This study provides basic information for understanding faunal diversity in the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot and serves as a reference for studies on the formation mechanisms for feline color pattern diversity.