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
Canis lupus
Linnaeus, 1758
—Eurasian Wolf
Canis lupus
Linnaeus, 1758 p.39
;
Type
locality-
Sweden
;
Ellerman & Morrison-Scott, 1951 p.218
;
Won, 1968 p.249
;
Corbet, 1978 p.161
;
Han, 1994 p.46
;
Won & Smith, 1999 p.15
;
Oh, 2004a p.147
.
Lupus laniger
Hodgson, 1847a p.474
;
Type
locality-
Tibet
C. chanco
Gray, 1863 p.94
;
Type
locality- Chinese Tartary.
C. lupus coreanus
Abe, 1923 p.383
;
Type
locality-
Korea
;
Kishida & Mori, 1931 p.379
.
C. lupus laniger
:
Kuroda, 1938 p.36
.
C. lupus chanco
:
Tate, 1947 p.160
;
Ellerman & Morrison-Scott, 1951 p.219
;
Won, 1958 p.441
;
Won, 1967 p.139
;
Won, 1968 p.251
;
Yoon, 1992 p.91
.
FIGURE 58.
Range map of
Canis lupus
in Korea.
Range:
The original distribution of the Eurasian wolf extended throughout the Korean Peninsula (
Jo & Baccus 2015
). The population declined severely during the Japanese incursion (
1910–1945
). Several individuals were recorded around Mt. Baekdu until the 1990s (
Jin & Ouh 1990
), but their current status is uncertain (
Fig. 58
).
Remarks:
The Korean wolf was first classified as C. l.
coreanus
Abe, 1923
, which then was synonymized with C. l.
chanco
(
Won 1967
)
. However, the designation of
C
.
l
.
chanco
as a synonym of
C. l.
lupus
was disputed, because
C l.
chanco
was the name for the Tibetan wolf with a distribution in Central Asia. Although wolves in
Korea
were classified as
C
.
l
.
chanco
,
Korea
was outside the distribution compared to the countries listed within the distribution.
Abe (1936)
stated that
C.
l. coreanus
in the Korean Peninsula was clearly different from the continental form. Recent mtDNA results indicated that coreanus is a synonym of the subspecies
C
.
l
.
lupus
Linnaeus, 1758
(
Aggarwal
et al
. 2003
,
2007
).
Conservation status:
The Red Data Book of
South Korea
listed
C. lupus
as ‘Regionally Extinct’ (NIBR 2012). Since wild populations had almost reached extirpation, the North Korean Government classified this species as ‘Vulnerable’ (MAB
National Committee of DPR
Korea
2002
). In 1997, the Ministry of Environment designated
C. lupus
as an endangered species in
South Korea
. The wolf became exterminated in
South Korea
and across most of
North Korea
in the last century (
Jo & Baccus 2015
).
C. lupus
has protection under CITES Appendix II.