Pudera Carlae is the first deer species to be discovered in the 21st century and the first from the New World in over 60 years. Learn more about it here.
The newly described deer species, Pudera Carlae, belongs to the Neotropical deer family, Odokoileini.
“Some questions regarding the phylogeny and taxonomy of Odocoileini, a group of 18 recognized extant species currently assigned to seven genera, remain unclear,” said Dr. Guillermo Delaire of the University of South Australia and his colleague.
“The few available phylogenetic analyzes indicate that some genera are not monophyletic and that species richness within groups is underestimated.”
“One genus that has both problems is the stocky, short-legged dwarf deer, Pudu”
“It has two species, the Northern Pudu (Pudu Mephisto File) from Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, and the Southern Pudu (Pudupuda) from southern Chile and neighboring Argentina.”
In a new study, the authors found that the Pudu Mephisto File species are actually two different species.
“One is distributed north of the Huancabamba depression from the northernmost part of Peru to the north (Ecuador and Colombia), while the other is endemic in Peru south of the Huancabamba depression and does not have a name yet, so we propose naming it Pudera Carlae”
“This is the first extant deer species described in the 21st century and the first discovered in the New World in over 60 years.”
The researchers also found that the Pudupuda type species of Pudu are not related to the two northern Pudu species.
“We revalidate the genus Pudera and assign the latter two species to it.”
The team’s paper was published in the mammal journal this month.
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Javier Barrio et al. Extant deer species first described in the 21st century and their reexamination Pudera (Artiodactyla). mammal journal, published online March 1, 2024. Doi: 10.1093/jmammal/gyae012
Source: www.sci.news
