Checklist and Review of Population Genetic Studies with Molecular Markers Applied to the Wild Cat Species Present in Colombia for Conservation Purposes.

At least seven species of wild cats inhabit Colombia, and these species are also distributed throughout Mexico, Central America, and the rest of South America (jaguar, puma, jaguarundi, ocelot, margay, tigrina, and Pampas cat). A checklist and review of phylogeographic and population genetic studies on these seven wild cat species has been conducted here, as this information is vital for effective conservation programs. The jaguar is the feline species on which the most population genetic studies have been carried out in the Neotropics. In general, little genetic structure has been found at a macro-geographic scale. Genetic diversity is high in countries such as Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, and generally throughout the Amazon basin. However, genetic diversity is more moderate or even significantly lower in Mexico and the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Much of the genetic research on the jaguar has focused on Brazil, Mexico, and Belize, but Colombia is also very well represented in these studies. However, there is a complete or very pronounced lack of data in other areas such as Venezuela, the Guianas, some Central American countries, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. After the jaguar, the most studied feline in Neotropics from a population genetics perspective is the puma. In North America, this species has low genetic diversity, while the diversity in Central America is moderate, and South America is where genetic diversity is highest. The countries best represented in these studies are Brazil (southern of the country), Mexico, Belize, and Argentina. However, countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Paraguay are very poorly represented in puma genetic studies. Very few genetic studies have been conducted on the jaguarundi, despite its vast geographic distribution. In northern Mexico, its genetic diversity is very low, but in countries like Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, genetic diversity is very high. Colombia is probably the country where jaguarundis have been genetically studied most extensively. The third wild cat species with the most molecular studies in Neotropics is the ocelot, although it lags considerably behind jaguars and pumas. Its genetic diversity is low in Texas and northern Mexico, but very high, especially in countries surrounding the Amazon basin. A good number of macro-geographic studies have been conducted on the ocelot, and these studies are very representative of ocelots in countries such as Colombia (probably the best represented country), Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Panama, and Costa Rica. However, there are other countries where molecular studies of the ocelot have not been carried out, such as Paraguay and Argentina, with the lack of such studies in Brazil being particularly noteworthy. Very few molecular studies have been conducted on the margay. In general, its genetic diversity is very high in all the studies performed. Colombia, Peru and Bolivia are very well represented, but the lack of molecular studies in Mexico, much of Central America, and South American countries such as Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina is striking. The tigrina is one of the Neotropical wild cat species that requires the most molecular studies to unravel its complex systematics. Only the southern Brazilian tigrina (