Two Japanese wildcats, the Tsushima cat and the Iriomote cat, show the same mitochondrial DNA lineage as the leopard cat Felis bengalensis.

We previously revealed, based on mitochondrial DNA sequence analysis, that the Iriomote cat is very closely related to the leopard cat Felis bengalensis, which is widespread in Asia [24]. In this study, in order to understand the phylogenetic status of the Tsushima cat which is the other wildcat in Japan, partial sequences (402 bases) of the mitochondrial cytochrome b region were determined and compared with those of the Iriomote cat and other feline species. The phylogenetic tree of the cytochrome b sequences indicated that the Tsushima cat and the Iriomote cat have the same mitochondrial DNA lineage as the leopard cat. One or two transitional substitutions were observed among the two Japanese wildcats and the leopard cat. The divergence time (approximately 100,000 years ago) of the Tsushima cat and the leopard cat, estimated by sequence data, was in concordance with the formation date of the Tsushima Island. These results suggest that genetic drift after geographic isolation has brought fixation of some genetic and morphological characters to the Tsushima cat and the Iriomote cat, while these two Japanese wildcats are still genetically close to the continental leopard cat. Considering morphological differences and molecular phylogeny, it is reasonable for the two Japanese wildcats to be classified as two subspecies of F. bengalensis.