lybica

Lybica is a Latin adjective used in scientific names to denote Libyan origin or association with Libya. It is not a taxon by itself, but appears as a species or subspecies epithet in binomial nomenclature.

The epithet lybica is best known from Felis lybica, the African wildcat, a small felid native to Africa and parts of the Middle East. The name reflects historic Libyan and North African distribution, though modern ranges extend beyond that region.

The African wildcat is widely regarded as the ancestral wild progenitor of the domestic cat (Felis catus). Domestic cats were likely domesticated around 9,000–10,000 years ago in the Near East, with subsequent spread and admixture from wildcats including F. lybica.

Taxonomic usage of lybica has varied: some classifications treat the African wildcat as Felis lybica, others place it as Felis silvestris lybica within a broader Felis silvestris. Genetic data support recognizing F. lybica as a distinct lineage closely related to domestic cats. In zoological nomenclature, the epithet lybica serves to convey geographic or historical information embedded in a species name.