Rucervus is a genus of deer from India, Nepal, Indochina, and the Chinese island of Hainan. The only extant representatives, the barasingha or swamp deer ( R. duvaucelii) and Eld's deer ( R. eldii), are threatened by habitat loss and hunting; another species, Schomburgk’s deer ( R. schomburgki), went extinct in 1938.
Species
Recent species
Fossil species
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Rucervus ardei (Croizet & Jobert, 1828) (Pliocene, France)
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Rucervus colberti (Azzaroli, 1954) (Tertiary period, Sivalik Hills)
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Rucervus gigans Croitor, 2018 (Early Pleistocene, Greece)
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Rucervus giulii (Kahlke, 1997) (Early Pleistocene, Germany)
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Rucervus radulescui Croitor, 2018 (Early Pleistocene, Romania)
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Rucervus simplicidens (Richard Lydekker, 1876) (Tertiary period, Sivalik Hills)
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Rucervus verestchagini (David, 1992) (Early Pleistocene, Moldova)
According to the old tradition of zoological taxonomy, swamp deer originally were regarded as members of the genus Cervus. Rucervus was originally proposed by Hodgson [Hodgson, B.H. 1838. Proceedings of Learned Societies. Linnaean Society, Feb. 20, 1838. Ann. Nat. Hist., 1, 152-154.] as a subgenus of the genus Cervus. The original definition of Rucervus was mostly based on antler shape believed to be intermediate between that of 'elaphus' and ' hippelaphus'. Hodgson [Pitraa, Fickela, Meijaard, Groves (2004). Evolution and phylogeny of old world deer. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 33: 880–895.][Groves (2006). The genus Cervus in eastern Eurasia. European Journal of Wildlife Research 52: 14–22][Groves, C. and Grubb, P. 2011. Ungulate Taxonomy. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA.] However, it has recently been place back into Rucervus by the American Society of Mammalogists
The generic name derives from its resemblance to both Rusa and Cervus.[ The Encyclopaedic Dictionary: A New & Original Work of Reference to All the Words in the English Language, with a Full Account of Their Origin, Meaning, Pronunciation, & Use. (1887:201). United Kingdom: Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Company.]
Rucervus is an ancient cervid lineage that—together with the genus Chital—represents the oldest evolutionary radiation of the subfamily Cervinae (plesiometacarpal deer).
Paleontological record
The fossil species of
Rucervus of Europe were included in the genus
Arvernoceros Heintz, 1971 (the type species:
Cervus ardei Croizet & Jobert, 1828) or in the genus
Eucladoceros, as in the case of
R. giulii. Today,
Arvernoceros is regarded as a
subgenus of
Rucervus.
The European fossil forms of
Rucervus are distinguished from the South Asian species by more compact crown part of the antler and by the frequent development of a small distal palmation as for instance in
R. ardei and
R. radulescui. South Asian fossil forms of
Rucervus are represented by large-sized
R. simplicidens and
R. colberti. The late Early Pleistocene of Greece has yielded the remains of a giant species
R. gigans that rivaled in size
Irish elk Irish elk, The giant
Rucervus from Greece is distinguished by unusually for such a large animal long limbs and apparently is closely related to
R. simplicidens and
R. colberti from the Sivaliks.
The Southwest-Europe endemic Mid to early Late Pleistocene genus
Haploidoceros is regarded as closely allied.
External links
