Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand abstracts
(c) Journal of The Royal Society of New Zealand,
Volume 31, Number 1, March 2001, pp 263-298
Advances in New Zealand mammalogy 1990-2000: Deer
G. Nugent*, K. W. Fraser**, G. W Asher+, K. G.
Tustin++
*Landcare Research, PO Box 69, Lincoln, Canterbury. Email:
nugentg@landcare.cri.nz
**Landcare Research, PO Box 69, Lincoln, Canterbury. Email:
fraserw@landcare.cri.nz
+AgResearch, Private Bag 50034, Mosgiel, Otago. Email:
geoff.asher@agresearch.co.nz
++8 Totara St, Geraldine.
FAMILY CERVIDAE
The cervids are now considered to consist of a complex group of about 57
species and almost 200 subspecies (Whitehead 1993). Two subfamilies (Cervinae
and Odocoilinae) are present in New Zealand.
Subfamily Cervinae
The rapid expansion of deer farming in recent decades has stimulated frequent
introductions of new genetic material, either as live animals or as frozen
semen (Pearse & Goosen 1999). This has produced a blurring of taxonomic
boundaries, a process that is likely to be hastened by deliberate hybridisation
between species, e.g. between red and Père David's deer (see below) and
between red and sambar deer (Muir et al. 1997), and by inadvertent
hybridisation between supposedly distinct species in captivity (e.g., red and
rusa deer on some Australian deer farms: P. F. Fennessy cited in Asher et al.
1999).
During 1984 and 1985, 77 Père David's deer (Elaphurus
davidianus) were imported into New Zealand as prospective farm stock (Asher
et al. 1988). Most died from malignant catarrhal fever (Orr & Mackintosh
1988). Only about 20 of their descendants survive, at Mt Hutt Station,
Canterbury (D. Hood pers. comm. 2000). Although karyotypically similar to red
deer (i.e., 2n = 68), Père David's deer are 50-60% larger than red deer,
and have considerably larger hooves, a longer tail, and antlers that
characteristically appear to grow backwards. Père David's deer are
long-day (summer) breeders, whereas red deer are short-day (autumn) breeders.
Gestation in Père David's deer is 283 days (Wemmer et al. 1989), about
50 days longer than red deer. Despite the large genetic distance between
Père David's deer and red deer (Tate et al. 1992), hybridisation between
the two species was achieved by artificial insemination (Asher et al. 1988;
Fenessy & Mackintosh 1992). Between 1986 and 1991, 16 F1 hybrid calves were
produced, and these were in turn used to produce over 400 maternal backcross
calves (i.e., 25% Père David, 75% red deer) that have proven to be
extremely valuable in mapping the red deer genome (Tate et al. 1997). However,
maintaining these populations of hybrids has proven difficult, so they are
unlikely to be incorporated into the New Zealand farmed deer population.
Remaining F1 and backcross hybrids are almost wholly confined to research
facilities.
Genus Cervus
Electrophoretic analysis suggests that the genus Cervus could be split
into two clades, with red deer, wapiti, and sika in one clade, and sambar and
rusa in another (Emerson & Tate 1993). There appears to be a close
relationship between the red-wapiti-sika clade and Père David's deer,
whereas the sambar-rusa clade appears to be closer to the genera Dama
and Axis (Emerson & Tate 1993).
38. RED DEER
CERVUS ELAPHUS SCOTICUS LöNNBERG, 1906
39. WAPITI
CERVUS ELAPHUS NELSONI (BAILEY, 1935)
40. SIKA DEER
CERVUS NIPPON TEMMINCK, 1836
41. SAMBAR DEER
CERVUS UNICOLOR UNICOLOR (KERR, 1792)
42. RUSA DEER
CERVUS TIMORENSIS BLAINVILLE, 1822
43. AXIS DEER
AXIS AXIS (ERXLEBEN, 1777)
44. FALLOW DEER
DAMA DAMA DAMA (LINNAEUS, 1758)
DAMA DAMA MESOPOTAMICUS (BROOKE, 1875)
Subfamily Odocoilinae
45. WHITE-TAILED DEER
ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS (MILLER, 1900)
46. MOOSE
ALCES ALCES ANDERSONI PETERSON, 1952
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