Leopard catshark large black spots. Subsequent authors have recognized these names as based on pattern variants of the leopard catshark; resolving the identity of "P. marleyi" proved especially problematic and it was not confirmed to be a synonym of this species until 2003. The valid scientific name of the leopard catshark is considered to be "Poroderma pantherinum", attributed to Müller and Henle as they were responsible for the description. The specific epithet "pantherinum" refers to the panther-like patterning of the type specimen, a long female collected off the Cape of Good Hope. Other common names for this shark include barbeled catshark and
Indochinese leopard are predominantly spotted. South of the Isthmus, only melanistic leopards were present. Melanism is quite common in dense tropical forest habitat, and black leopards have a selective advantage for ambush. The Indochinese leopard is distributed in Southeast Asia, where today small populations remain only in Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, and southern China. In Laos, Viet Nam and Singapore it is suspected to have been extirpated. Peninsular Malaysia and the Northern Tenasserim Forest Complex on Thailand-Myanmar border are at present considered strongholds, and eastern Cambodia a priority site. In Myanmar's Chatthin Wildlife Sanctuary, the leopard population declined so drastically between the