The taxonomic status of the European mouflon in Spain

• Stefan Michel ^[2] ; Sandro Lovari ^[3] ; Arash Ghoddousi ^[4] ; Juan Herrero ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidad de Zaragoza

     Universidad de Zaragoza

     Zaragoza, España

     
  2. [2] Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union Germany (NABU)
  3. [3] Maremma Natural History Museum, Grosseto, Italy, and Past-chair of the IUCN Caprinae Specialist Group
  4. [4] Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands

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• Localización: Galemys: Boletín informativo de la Sociedad Española para la conservación y estudio de los mamíferos, ISSN 1137-8700, Vol. 38, Vol. 1, 2026
• Idioma: inglés
• Títulos paralelos:
  • El estatuto taxonómico del muflón europeo en España
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  • Texto completo (pdf)
• Resumen

  • The taxonomy of the European mouflon (Bovidae: Caprinae), as reported in the updated list of Spanish mammals by Román et al. (2025), deserves clarification. Román et al. (2025) incorrectly label the mouflon found in Spain as Ovis gmelinii [sic], applying the species name of the wild Asiatic mouflon O. gmelini Blyth, 1841 with a spelling error. We disagree on the use of this scientific name for the Spanish mouflon population, as it disregards the evidence indicating that introduced European mouflons are descendants of domestic sheep Ovis aries Linnaeus, 1758. Applying the name O. gmelini is not only scientifically incorrect but it could also have adverse consequences for its conservation.