Felis lybica Forster, 1780

Aidek, Ahmad E., Ibrahim, Amir, Amr, Zuhair, Hutterer, Rainer, Kryštufek, Boris, Serra, Gianluca, Benda, Petr, Shkaky, Yesra, Barbanera, Filippo & Al-Sheikhly, Omar F., 2025, Checklist of Mammals of Syria, Zootaxa 5580 (1), pp. 1-130 : 93

89. African Wildcat, Felis lybica Forster, 1780

(IUCN Red List: LC)

Subspecies: F. l. tristrami (Pocock, 1944) .

Distribution: Widespread but uncommon; populations are possibly decreased due to extensive persecution; confined to the wooded mountains and forests of the coastal region, arid steppes of Al-Badia south of Deir Ez-Zor to Palmyra, around Damascus, and in the southwestern region ( Fig. 98 ).

Previous records: Dariyya and near Al-Quneitra ( Harrison 1971), between Al-Quneitra and Rwihinah ( Shehab 2002), Palmyra ( Serra et al. 2009a), Palmyra and surrounding Damascus ( Masseti 2009).

Recent records: Jabal Al-Bishri (2007–2008), Palmyra (2009), Bmalkah (2016), Al-Kadmous (2020), Al-Nabk, Al-Makhbotah and Salkhad (2021).

Figures

FIGURE 98. Records of the African Wildcat Felis lybica Forster, 1780 and the European Wildcat, Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777 in Syria.