2026/06/10 by Andrew C. Kitchener, Lucile Armand, Géraldine Veron · 1 voice
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · Psychology · #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Primate Behavior and Ecology #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · doi:10.1515/mammalia-2026-0010
openalex publication_date 2026/06/10 · openalex created_date 2026/06/13 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
Abstract The recent splitting of the golden jackal, Canis aureus , into two species, including the African (golden) wolf, has resulted in uncertainty over which species name should be used for this taxon. Canis anthus Cuvier, 1820 is the earliest name based on a female from Senegal, but there is uncertainty as to which species this represents, because the whereabouts of the holotype are unknown. Instead, many recent authors have proposed using Canis lupaster Hemprich and Ehrenberg, 1833, because the holotype is extant and represents the African wolf as now understood. In this paper, we present evidence that a mounted skin of a female canid from Senegal in the collection of the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle is most likely the missing holotype of C. anthus . Therefore, we recommend that the species name for the African wolf should be C. anthus and that C. lupaster is a junior synonym.