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Cat Scientific
Classification |
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The domestic cat was
named Felis catus by Carolus Linnaeus in his
Systema Naturae of 1758. Johann Christian Daniel
von Schreber named the wild cat Felis silvestris
in 1775. The domestic cat is now considered a
subspecies of the wild cat: by the strict rule of
priority of the International Code of Zoological
Nomenclature the name for the species thus ought
to be F. catus since Linnaeus published first.
However, in practice almost all biologists use F.
silvestris for the wild species, using F. catus
only for the domesticated form.
In opinion 2027 (published in Volume 60, Part 1 of
the Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature, 31 March
2003 [20]) the International Commission on
Zoological Nomenclature "conserved the usage of 17
specific names based on wild species, which are
predated by or contemporary with those based on
domestic forms", thus confirming F. silvestris for
the wild cat and F. silvestris catus for its
domesticated subspecies. (F. catus is still valid
if the domestic form is considered a separate
species.)
Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben named the
domestic cat Felis domesticus in his Anfangsgründe
der Naturlehre and Systema regni animalis of 1777.
This name, and its variants Felis catus domesticus
and Felis silvestris domesticus, are often seen,
but they are not valid scientific names under the
rules of the International Code of Zoological
Nomenclature. |
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