Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand abstracts

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(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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