Basic info Taxonomic history Classification Included Taxa
Morphology Ecology and taphonomy External Literature Search Age range and collections

Lynx rufus (bobcat)

Osteichthyes - Carnivora - Felidae

Taxonomy
Felis rufa was named by Schreber (1777) [also said to be 1776]. It is extant.

It was recombined as Felis (Lynx) rufa by Kerr (1792); it was synonymized subjectively with Felis borealis by Mivart (1882); it was recombined as Lynx rufa by Merriam and Stock (1932); it was recombined as Felis (Lynx) rufus by Mooser and Dalquest (1975); it was misspelled as Felis ruffus by Hay (1902), Auffenberg (1967); it was recombined as Lynx rufus by Schultz and Howard (1935), Slaughter (1966), Slaughter (1966), Lundelius (1972), Ewer (1973), Kurten and Anderson (1980), Hulbert and Pratt (1998), Johnson et al. (2006), Breitenmoser and Breitenmoser (2017), Eshelman et al. (2025).

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1776Felis rufa Schreber
1777Felis rufa Schreber
1792Felis (Lynx) rufa Kerr
1899Felis calcaratus Cope
1902Felis calcaratus Hay p. 782
1902Felis ruffus Hay p. 783
1908Lynx compressus Brown
1932Lynx rufa Merriam and Stock p. 216
1935Lynx rufus Schultz and Howard p. 285
1966Lynx rufus Slaughter p. 81
1967Felis rufus Auffenberg p. 320
1972Lynx rufus Lundelius, Jr.
1973Lynx rufus Ewer
1975Felis (Lynx) rufus Mooser and Dalquest p. 790
1980Lynx rufus Kurten and Anderson p. 197
1998Lynx rufus Hulbert, Jr. and Pratt
2006Lynx rufus Johnson et al.
2017Lynx rufus Breitenmoser and Breitenmoser p. 38
2025Lynx rufus Eshelman et al. p. 142

Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data

RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
classOsteichthyes
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
Cotylosauria()
Amniota
subclassSynapsida
Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
Mammaliamorpha
Mammaliaformes
RankNameAuthor
classMammalia
Cladotheria
Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
Eutheria()
Placentalia
Boreoeutheria
Laurasiatheria
Scrotifera
Ferae()
Pancarnivora
CarnivoramorphaWyss and Flynn 1993
CarnivoraformesFlynn et al.
orderCarnivora
suborderFeliformiaKretzoi 1945
superfamilyFeloideaHay 1930
familyFelidae
subfamilyFelinaeTrouessart 1885
genusLynxKerr 1792
speciesrufus(Schreber 1777)

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Lynx rufus Schreber 1777 [bobcat]
show all | hide all
Lynx rufa fischeri Merriam 1910
Invalid names: Felis calcaratus Cope 1899 [synonym], Lynx compressus Brown 1908 [synonym]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available