Taxonomic position of the red deer Cervus elaphus L. (Cervidae, Artiodactyla, Mammalia) from the Neopleistocene of northeastern Asia

摘要

The taxonomic position of the Late Neopleistocene red deer from northeastern Asia is discussed. Comparisons of extinct forms from the Baikal Region, central Yakutia, and northeastern Asia with the extant maral and izubr from Eastern Siberia and the Far East have shown that Cervus elaphus from the Upper Neopleistocene, of Eastern Siberia belongs to a distinct new subspecies, C. e. cherskii subsp. nov. This deer is characterized by its extremely large antlers and stocky build. In the Karginian Interglacial, its range, unlike that of extant C. elaphus, included the extreme northern parts of Eastern Siberia up to the present-day Arctic seashore, Novosibirskie Islands, and western Chukotski Peninsula. During the Sartanian Glacial, its range was apparently considerably reduced, being confined to central Yakutia (the areas between the Lena, Aldan, and Vilyui rivers).