Mammals of Korea: a review of their taxonomy, distribution and conservation status
Author
Jo, Yeong-Seok
Author
Baccus, John T.
Author
Koprowski, John L.
text
Zootaxa
2018
2018-11-19
4522
1
1
216
journal article
27944
10.11646/zootaxa.4522.1.1
58e0c7c5-75ec-4b1b-beb0-d01527f710f9
1175-5326
2610198
C24EFA8A-A5A0-4B06-A0A9-632F542B9529
Lynx lynx
(
Linnaeus, 1758
)
—Eurasian
Lynx
Felis lynx
Linnaeus, 1758 p.43
;
Type
locality-
Southern
Sweden
.
Felis cervaria
Temminck, 1827 p.106
;
Type
locality-
Northern Asia
.
Lynx lynx borealis
: Kuroda
in
Uchida, 1927 p.37
.
L. borealis
:
Kishida & Mori, 1931 p.379
.
L. lynx cervaria
:
Won, 1958 p.442
;
Won, 1967 p.152
.
F. lynx cervaria
:
Kuroda, 1938 p.40
;
Won, 1968 p.320
.
F. lynx lynx
:
Yoon, 1992 p.113
L. lynx
:
Han, 1994 p.46
;
Won & Smith, 1999 p.20
;
Oh, 2004a p.154
.
Range:
The distribution of the Eurasian lynx formerly covered the northwestern Korean Peninsula (
Kim
et al.
2015
;
Fig. 53
). Only two lynx records from the 1910s at Guseong City, Pyeonganbuk Province and in the 1930s at Deokcheon City, Pyeongannam Province documented its presence in
Korea
(
Won 1968
). Recent records of lynx in
North Korea
are from Sinheung-gun and Baekam-gun in the 1990s (
Kim
et al.
2015
). Unofficial records around the DMZ from
South Korea
cannot be validated (
Yoo 2000
). Historically,
L. lynx
has always been considered rare in
Korea
.
FIGURE 53.
Range map of
Lynx
lynx
in Korea.
Remarks:
The populations in
Korea
were once regarded as L. l.
cervaria
(
Won 1968
)
, but this taxon remains uncertain since it became a synonym of L. l.
lynx
(
Won & Smith 1999
)
.
Heptner and Sludskii (1972)
recorded
Lynx lynx stroganovi
Heptner,
1969
in Manchuria close to
Korea
. Without any geographic barriers,
L. l.
cervaria
from
Korea
and
L. l. stroganovi
from Machuria could be the same subspecies.
Conservation status:
The Red Data Book of
North Korea
lists the Eurasian lynx as a ‘Vulnerable’ species (MAB
National Committee of DPR
Korea
2002
). The Ministry of Environment in
South Korea
designated
L. lynx
as an endangered species in 2005. Although the Eurasian lynx was reported only in extreme northern
Korea
,
L. lynx
was considered as ‘Regionally Extinct’ in
South Korea
and became a candidate for a ‘restoration project’ (NIBR 2012;
Jo & Baccus 2016
).