Leopardus narinensis Ruiz-García, Pinedo-Castro & Shostell, 2023 (Mammalia, Carnivora, Felidae) is a junior synonym of Leopardus pardinoides (Gray, 1867): the need for good practices in nomenclatural and taxonomic proposals

Leopardus narinensis was first mentioned in 2018, but at that time it was not available under the rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) due to the absence of a designated type specimen and a detailed description. The name only became available in 2023, when the same authors published a formal description in accordance with ICZN requirements. In this study, based on morphological and genetic data, we compared and analyzed the type specimen of L. narinensis with specimens of L. pardinoides (Gray, 1867) from Colombia housed in scientific collections. We conclude that Leopardus narinensis Ruiz-García, Pinedo-Castro & Shostell, 2023, is a junior synonym of Leopardus pardinoides (Gray, 1867). In addition, we highlight problems associated with the use of unavailable names and recommend good practices for taxonomic and systematic studies.