Canis lupus has 39 subspecies currently described, including two subspecies of domestic dog, Canis lupus dingo and Canis lupus familiaris, and many subspecies of wolf throughout the northern hemisphere. The nominate subspecies is Canis lupus lupus. Biological taxonomy is not fixed, and placement of taxa is reviewed as a result of new research. The current categorization of subspecies of Canis lupus is shown below. Also included are synonyms, which are now-discarded duplicate or incorrect namings. Common names are given but may vary, as they have no set meaning. [edit] List of Subspecies Canis lupus subspecies as of 2005[update][2] | Subspecies | Authority | Common Name | | Canis lupus lupus (nominate subspecies) | Linnaeus, 1758 | Common (Eurasian) Grey Wolf | | Canis lupus albus | Kerr, 1792 | Tundra Wolf, Turukhan Wolf, Arctic Wolf, White Wolf (Finland to eastern Russia) | | Canis lupus alces | Goldman, 1941 | Kenai (Alaska) Peninsula Wolf, extinct by 1925 | | Canis lupus arabs | Pocock, 1934 | Arabian Wolf (Saudi Arabia) | | Canis lupus arctos | Pocock, 1935 | Arctic Wolf, White Wolf, Polar Wolf (Northern Canada, Greenland) | | Canis lupus baileyi | Nelson and Goldman, 1929 | Mexican Wolf (central Mexico to southwestern United States) | | Canis lupus beothucus | G. M. Allen and Barbour, 1937 | Newfoundland Wolf (Newfoundland, Canada) (extinct) | | Canis lupus bernardi | Anderson, 1943 | Bernard's Wolf (Arctic) | | Canis lupus campestris | Dwigubski, 1804 | Steppe Wolf (Central Asia) | | Canis lupus chanco | Gray, 1863 | Tibetan wolf, Himalayan wolf, Chinese wolf | | Canis lupus columbianus | Goldman, 1941 | British Columbia Wolf (Western Canada) (extinct) | | Canis lupus crassodon | Hall, 1932 | Vancouver Island Wolf (Canada) | | Canis lupus dingo | Meyer, 1793 | Dingo, mostly wild living domestic dog of Australia and South-east Asia: dingo and familiaris provisionally separate, 2003 | | Canis lupus familiaris | Linnaeus, 1758 | Domestic dog | | Canis lupus floridanus | Miller, 1912 | Florida Black Wolf (Florida, United States) (extinct) | | Canis lupus fuscus | Richardson, 1839 | Cascade Mountain Wolf (Cascade Mountains, Canada and United States) | | Canis lupus gregoryi | Goldman, 1937 | | | Canis lupus griseoalbus | Baird, 1858; syn. knightii (Anderson, 1945) | Manitoba Wolf (Central Manitoba and northern Saskatchewan, Canada) (extinct) | | Canis lupus hattai | Kishida, 1931 | Hokkaidō Wolf (Japan) (extinct) | | Canis lupus hodophilax | Temminck, 1839 | Honshū Wolf (Honshū Islands, Japan) (extinct) | | Canis lupus hudsonicus | Goldman, 1941 | Hudson Bay Wolf, Tundra Wolf (Alaska and Canada) | | Canis lupus irremotus | Goldman, 1937 | Northern Rocky Mountains Wolf (Rocky Mountains, United States and Canada) | | Canis lupus labradorius | Goldman, 1937 | Labrador Wolf (Northern Quebec and Labrador, Canada) | | Canis lupus ligoni | Goldman, 1937 | Alexander Archipelago Wolf (Alexander Archipelago Islands in the Arctic) | | Canis lupus lycaon | Schreber, 1775 | Eastern North America Timber Wolf | | Canis lupus mackenzii | Anderson, 1943 | Mackenzie Tundra Wolf (Mackenzie River drainage, Canada) | | Canis lupus manningi | Anderson, 1943 | Baffin Island Wolf (Baffin Island, Canada) | | Canis lupus mogollonensis | Goldman, 1937 | Mogollon Mountain Wolf (Mogollon, New Mexico, southwest United States) (extinct) | | Canis lupus monstrabilis | Goldman, 1937; syn. niger (Bartram, 1791) | Texas Wolf (Texas, US and northern Mexico) (extinct, 1942) | | Canis lupus nubilus | Say, 1823 | Great Plains Wolf (Central North America) | | Canis lupus occidentalis | Richardson, 1829 | Rocky Mountain Wolf (Canada, US) | | Canis lupus orion | Pocock, 1935 | | | Canis lupus pallipes | Sykes, 1831 | Iranian Wolf (Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India) | | Canis lupus pambasileus | Elliot, 1905 | | | Canis lupus rufus | Audubon and Bachman, 1851 | Red Wolf (Perhaps a hybrid, status uncertain) | | Canis lupus tundrarum | Miller, 1912 | Alaskan Tundra Wolf (northeastern Alaska, USA), heavier dentition than pambasileus | | Canis lupus youngi | Goldman, 1937 | | [edit] Disputed distinct subspecies and species Two subspecies not mentioned in the list above include the Italian Wolf (Canis lupus italicus) and the Iberian Wolf (Canis lupus signatus). The wolves of the Italian and Iberian peninsulas are morphologically and genetically distinct from other European wolves and each are now considered to represent their own subspecies. [3][4][5] In addition, recent genetic research suggests that the Indian Wolf, originally considered only as a subpopulation of the Iranian Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes), may represent a distinct species (Canis indica). Similar results were obtained for the Himalayan wolf, which is traditionally placed into the Tibetan wolf (Canis lupus laniger) [6]. [edit] Geographical variations Wolves show a great deal of dimorphism geographically, though they can interbreed. The Zoological Gardens of London for example once successfully managed to mate a male European wolf to an Indian female, resulting in a cub bearing an almost exact likeness to its sire.[7] [edit] Europe European wolves tend to have long, more highly placed ears, narrow heads, slender loins and coarse fur.[8] Pelt colour in European wolves ranges from white, cream, red, grey and black, sometimes with all colors combined. Wolves in central Europe tend to be more richly coloured than those in Northern Europe.[9] Eastern European wolves tend to be shorter and more heavily built than Northern Russian ones.[9] [edit] North America North American wolves are, overall, generally the same size as European breeds, but have have larger, rounder heads, broader, more obtuse muzzles, shorter legs, have more luxuriant fur and are usually more robust. They typically lack the black mark on the forelegs, as is the case in European races.[10] Fur colour in American wolves ranges from white, black, red, yellow, brown, gray, and grizzled skins, and others representing every shade between, although usually each locality has its prevailing tint. There are pronounced differences in North American wolves of different localities; wolves from Texas and New Mexico are comparitively slim animals with small teeth.[11] Mexican wolves in particular resemble some European wolves in stature, though their heads are usually broader, their necks thicker, their ears longer and their tails shorter.[12] Wolves of the central and northern chains of the Rocky Mountains and coastal ranges are more formidable animals than the more southern plains wolves, and resemble Russian and Scandinavian wolves in size and proportions.[11] [edit] Gallery [edit] References - ^ Mech & Boitani (2004). Canis lupus. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 2006-05-05. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern.
- ^ Wozencraft, W. C. (16 November 2005). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds). ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=14000738.
- ^ V. LUCCHINI, A. GALOV and E. RANDI Evidence of genetic distinction and long-term population decline in wolves (Canis lupus) in the Italian Apennines. Molecular Ecology (2004) 13, 523–536. abstract online
- ^ European Mammal Assessment - Canis lupus
- ^ J. Vos: Food habits and livestock depredation of two Iberian wolf packs (Canis lupus signatus) in the north of Portugal. Journal of Zoology (2000), 251: 457-462 Cambridge University Press. online abstract
- ^ R. K. Aggarwal, T. Kivisild, J. Ramadevi, L. Singh:Mitochondrial DNA coding region sequences support the phylogenetic distinction of two Indian wolf species. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, Volume 45 Issue 2 Page 163-172, May 2007 online
- ^ The Living Age, published by Littell, Son and Co., 1851
- ^ The Canadian Naturalist and Geologist by the Natural History Society of Montreal, published by Dawson., 1857
- ^ a b Hutchinson's animals of all countries; the living animals of the world in picture and story Vol.I. 1923. p. 384.
- ^ Fauna Boreali-americana, Or, The Zoology of the Northern Parts of British America: Containing Descriptions of the Objects of Natural History Collected on the Late Northern Land Expeditions, Under Command of Captain Sir John Franklin, R.N., by John Richardson, William Swainson, William Kirby, published by J. Murray, 1829
- ^ a b Hunting the Grisly and Other Sketches by Theodore Roosevelt - Full Text Free Book (Part 3/3)
- ^ The Natural History of Dogs: Canidæ Or Genus Canis of Authors. Including Also the Genera Hyæna and Proteles by Charles Hamilton Smith, contributor William Home Lizars, Samuel Highley, W. Curry, Junr. & Co, Published by W.H. Lizars, ... S. Highley, ... London; and W. Curry, jun. and Co. Dublin., 1839
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