About Sylvilagus gabbi (J.A.Allen, 1877)
The Central American tapeti (Sylvilagus gabbi), also known as Gabb's cottontail, is a species of cottontail rabbit native to southern Mexico and most of Central America. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the common tapeti (Sylvilagus brasiliensis), but 2017 genetic and morphological analysis confirmed it is distinct enough to be recognized as a separate species. It is closely related to the northern tapeti, which some authors classify as a subspecies of S. gabbi. Its common name Gabb's cottontail honors American paleontologist William More Gabb. This species ranges across Central America from eastern and southeastern Mexico south to Panama. The nominate northern subspecies, Sylvilagus gabbi gabbi, occurs from the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Veracruz, Querétaro, Hidalgo, Puebla, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Tabasco, and Campeche, extending into Guatemala and Belize. The subspecies Sylvilagus gabbi truei is found from Guatemala through Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica to Panama. Currently, Sylvilagus gabbi truei has no confirmed records of occurrence elsewhere in Central America beyond this range.
