NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Central American Lowland Forest Cottontail
Sylvilagus gabbi (J. A. Allen, 1877)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Central American tapeti (Sylvilagus gabbi) or Gabb's cottontail is a species of cottontail rabbit native to southern Mexico and much of Central America. It was previously considered a subspecies of the common tapeti (Sylvilagus brasiliensis) but analysis in 2017 confirmed that it is sufficiently distinct in both appearance and genetics to be considered a species in its own right. It is closely related to the northern tapeti, which some authors describe as a subspecies of S. gabbi. The name Gabbi's cottontail comes from American paleontologist William More Gabb.
Wikipedia contributors, Central American tapeti; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T13:23:17.354156+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sylvilagus gabbi (J. A. Allen, 1877)
- Name authority
- (J. A. Allen, 1877)
- Common name
- Central American Lowland Forest Cottontail
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Lagomorpha
- Family
- Leporidae
- Genus
- Sylvilagus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderLagomorpha Brandt, 1855
- familyLeporidae Fischer, 1817
- genusSylvilagus Gray, 1867
- speciesSylvilagus gabbi (J. A. Allen, 1877)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Sylvilagus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Andean CottontailSylvilagus andinus (Thomas, 1897) | LeporidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Apollinaris' CottontailSylvilagus apollinaris Thomas, 1920 | LeporidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cane CutterSylvilagus aquaticus (Bachman, 1837) | LeporidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Audubon's CottontailSylvilagus audubonii (Baird, 1858) | LeporidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mexican CottontailSylvilagus cunicularius (Waterhouse, 1848) | LeporidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tres Marias CottontailSylvilagus graysoni (J. A. Allen, 1877) | LeporidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Omilteme CottontailSylvilagus insonus (Nelson, 1904) | LeporidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| San José Brush RabbitSylvilagus mansuetus Nelson, 1907 | LeporidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dwarf TapetíSylvilagus tapetillus Thomas, 1913 | LeporidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| ConeySylvilagus transitionalis (Bangs, 1895) | LeporidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Barinas Wild RabbitSylvilagus varynaensis Durant & Guevara, 2001 | LeporidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Brush RabbitSylvilagus bachmani (Waterhouse, 1839) | LeporidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
South America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1089948 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:53N8Z. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.