The serval (Leptailurus serval)
Felis serval was first described by Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in 1776. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the following serval zoological specimens were described:
Felis constantina proposed by Georg Forster in 1780 was a specimen from the vicinity of Constantine, Algeria.
Felis servalina proposed by William Ogilby in 1839 was based on one serval skin from Sierra Leone with freckle-sized spots.
Felis brachyura proposed by Johann Andreas Wagner in 1841 was also a serval skin from Sierra Leone.
Felis (Serval) togoensis proposed by Paul Matschie in 1893 were two skins and three skulls from Togo.
Felis servalina pantasticta and F. s. liposticta proposed by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1907 were based on one serval from Entebbe in Uganda with a yellowish fur, and one serval skin from Mombasa in Kenya with dusky spots on its belly.
Felis capensis phillipsi proposed by Glover Morrill Allen in 1914 was a skin and a skeleton of an adult male serval from El Garef at the Blue Nile in Sudan.
The generic name Leptailurus was proposed by Nikolai Severtzov in 1858. The serval is the sole member of this genus.
In 1944, Pocock recognised three serval races in North Africa. Three subspecies are recognised as valid since 2017
L. s. serval, the nominate subspecies, in Southern Africa
L. s. constantina in Central and West Africa
L. s. lipostictus in East Africa
The serval (Leptailurus serval)
Felis serval was first described by Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in 1776. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the following serval zoological specimens were described:
Felis constantina proposed by Georg Forster in 1780 was a specimen from the vicinity of Constantine, Algeria.
Felis servalina proposed by William Ogilby in 1839 was based on one serval skin from Sierra Leone with freckle-sized spots.
Felis brachyura proposed by Johann Andreas Wagner in 1841 was also a serval skin from Sierra Leone.
Felis (Serval) togoensis proposed by Paul Matschie in 1893 were two skins and three skulls from Togo.
Felis servalina pantasticta and F. s. liposticta proposed by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1907 were based on one serval from Entebbe in Uganda with a yellowish fur, and one serval skin from Mombasa in Kenya with dusky spots on its belly.
Felis capensis phillipsi proposed by Glover Morrill Allen in 1914 was a skin and a skeleton of an adult male serval from El Garef at the Blue Nile in Sudan.
The generic name Leptailurus was proposed by Nikolai Severtzov in 1858. The serval is the sole member of this genus.
In 1944, Pocock recognised three serval races in North Africa. Three subspecies are recognised as valid since 2017
L. s. serval, the nominate subspecies, in Southern Africa
L. s. constantina in Central and West Africa
L. s. lipostictus in East Africa