<p>Well-informed taxonomy reflects the underlying biology of organisms critical for appropriate conservation management. The taxonomy of red pandas, endangered mammals distributed along a ~2500 km montane range in south-central Asia, has been perplexing. Finally resolved as evolutionarily unique Musteloidea, further division into two geographic variants remains contentious. Red pandas are threatened by extinction from anthropogenic disturbances with consequent population decline, therefore continued gene flow is crucial to maintain adaptive potential. A recent phylogenomic study from sampling only range ends and a constrictive species concept split red pandas into two species. However, subsequent reports supplied additional data missing from red pandas’ midrange. This investigation synthesized and analyzed all comparable mtDNA-CR sequences from five studies, plotted sampling locations, and evaluated with and without midrange samples. It demonstrated that the two-species hypothesis was substantially weakened when geographically intermediate data were included. <i>Ailurus fulgens</i> was thus proposed as a single, geographically variable species, with the western sublineage weakly supported within. Other findings include four haplogroups correlated with specific regions, potential sympatric crossover and a midrange cline bracketing Bhutan, suggesting broad phylogeographic patterning and gene flow. Biogeographic drivers for these patterns were discussed. Red pandas are due for IUCN Red List reassessment in 2025; unwarranted taxonomic revision would delay and imperil action needed to prevent extinction. Recommendations include: maintaining <i>A. fulgens</i> as one species, recognizing biodiversity at one intraspecific level, allowing for connectivity in conservation management, and further investigating the genetic structure of midrange red pandas to integrate within their entire distribution.</p>