Editing Serval (section)

=== Phylogeny ===
The [[phylogenetic]] relationships of the serval have remained in dispute; in 1997, palaeontologists M.&nbsp;C. McKenna and S.&nbsp;K. Bell classified ''Leptailurus'' as a [[subgenus]] of ''Felis'', while others like O.&nbsp;R.&nbsp;P. Bininda-Edmonds (of the [[Technical University of Munich]]) have grouped it with ''Felis'', ''Lynx'' and ''[[Caracal]]''. Studies in the 2000s and the 2010s show that the serval, along with the caracal and the [[African golden cat]], forms one of the eight lineages of Felidae. According to a 2006 genetic study, the ''Caracal'' lineage came into existence 8.5&nbsp;[[Mya (unit)|million years ago]], and the ancestor of this lineage arrived in Africa 8.5–5.6&nbsp;mya.<ref name=Johnson_al2006/><ref name=werdelin>{{cite book |last1=Werdelin|first1=L.|last2=Yamaguchi|first2=N.|last3=Johnson|first3=W. E.|last4=O'Brien|first4=S. J. |contribution=Phylogeny and evolution of cats (Felidae) |date=2010 |pages=59–82 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266755142 |editor1-last=Macdonald |editor1-first=D. W. |editor2-last=Loveridge |editor2-first=A. J. |title=Biology and Conservation of Wild Felids |publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-0-19-923445-5 |edition=Reprinted}}</ref>

The phylogenetic relationships of the serval are as follows:<ref name=Johnson_al2006/><ref name=werdelin/>
{{clade |style=font-size:90%;line-height:75%;
|label1=
|1={{clade
   |1={{clade
      |label1=''[[Pardofelis]]''
      |1=[[Marbled cat]] (''P. marmorata'')
      |label2=''[[Catopuma]]''
      |2={{clade
         |1=[[Bay cat]] (''Catopuma badia'')
         |2=[[Asian golden cat]] (''Catopuma temminckii'')
         }}
      }}
   |2=|state2=none |style2=font-size:50%;line-height:50%;
   |3={{clade
      |1={{clade
         |label1=Caracal |sublabel1=lineage
         |1={{clade
            |label1=''[[Leptailurus]]''
            |1='''Serval''' (''L. serval'')
            |label2=''[[Caracal (genus)|Caracal]]''
            |2={{clade
               |1=[[Caracal]] (''Caracal caracal'')
               |2=[[African golden cat]] (''Caracal aurata'')
               }}
            }}
         |2={{clade
            |1=''[[Leopardus]]''
            |1x={{clade
               |1={{clade
                  |1=[[Ocelot]] (''L. pardalis'')
                  |2=[[Margay]] (''L. wiedii'')
               }}
               |2={{clade
                  |1={{clade
                     |1=[[Andean mountain cat]] (''L. jacobita'')
                     |2=[[Colocolo]] (''L. colocolo'')
                     }}
                  |2={{clade
                     |1={{clade
                        |1=[[Geoffroy's cat]] (''L. geoffroyi'')
                        |2=[[Kodkod]] (''L. guigna'')
                        }}
                     |2=[[Oncilla]] (''L. tigrinus'')
                     }}
                  }}
               }}
            |2={{clade
               |1=''[[Lynx]]''
               |2={{clade
                  |1={{clade
                     |1=''[[Acinonyx]]''
                     |2=''[[Puma (genus)|Puma]]''
                     }}
                  |2={{clade
                     |1={{clade
                        |1=''[[Otocolobus]]''
                        |2=''[[Prionailurus]]''
                        }}
                     |2=''[[Felis]]''
                     }}
                  }}
               }}
            }}
         }}
      }}
   }}
}}