Abstract Small wild cats (SWC) are naturally cryptic species. The current study presents occurrence information and capture-rates on four SWC species found in the Brazilian Pantanal. The most commonly recorded SWC by camera trap was Leopardus pardalis. Leopardus colocolo and Puma yagouaroundi were relatively rare, while Leopardus guttulus was not recorded in any survey year. We interpret our findings based on the potential competitive influences of L. pardalis and practical implications of camera trap survey design. We recommend that future studies should design camera trap grids with spacing appropriate for SWC to more directly address questions on local population status and interspecific interactions.

中文翻译：

---

巴西潘塔纳尔湿地中小型野猫的相对稀有性

摘要 小型野猫 (SWC) 是天然的神秘物种。目前的研究提供了在巴西潘塔纳尔湿地发现的四种 SWC 物种的发生信息和捕获率。相机陷阱最常记录的 SWC 是 Leopardus pardalis。Leopardus colocolo 和 Puma yagouaroundi 相对罕见，而 Leopardus guttulus 在任何调查年份都没有记录。我们根据 L. pardalis 的潜在竞争影响和相机陷阱调查设计的实际意义来解释我们的发现。我们建议未来的研究应该设计间距适合 SWC 的相机陷阱网格，以更直接地解决有关当地人口状况和种间相互作用的问题。