''Neotragus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of dwarf

antelope The term antelope is used to refer to many species of even-toed ruminant that are indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelope comprise a wastebasket taxon defined as any of numerous Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mammals ...

, native to Africa. The genus includes only a single species without any dispute, namely ''

Neotragus pygmaeus The royal antelope (''Neotragus pygmaeus'') is a West African antelope, recognized as the world's smallest antelope. It was first described by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It stands up to merely at the shoulder and weighs . A char ...

''. Neotragus pygmaeus is the smallest antelope in the world, they usually weigh around 5 to 7 pounds. This animal lives in conditions that are warm and moist, they are found in the tropical forests of Western Africa. The Neotragus pygmaeus diet consists of high nutrients food sources, such as leaves, flowers, plants, fruits, and the growing tips of shoots. Recent nucleic acid studies now suggest that the other two species formerly included in the genus are not closely related, and should be assigned to the genus ''

Nesotragus ''Nesotragus'' is a genus of dwarf antelope comprising two species, endemic to Africa, and formerly but incorrectly considered a synonym of the similarly named genus '' Neotragus''. Recent nucleic acid studies demonstrate that the two species of ...

''. Members of the Nesotragus genus are the only surviving members of the subfamily Nesotraginae or tribe Nesotragini and are more closely related to the

impala The impala or rooibok (''Aepyceros melampus'') is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus '' Aepyceros'' and tribe Aepycerotini, it was first described to European audiences by Germa ...

, while the

royal antelope The royal antelope (''Neotragus pygmaeus'') is a West African antelope, recognized as the world's smallest antelope. It was first described by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. It stands up to merely at the shoulder and weighs . A chara ...

is still a member of the subfamily

Antilopinae The Antilopines are even-toed ungulates belonging to the subfamily Antilopinae of the family Bovidae. The members of tribe Antilopini include the gazelles, blackbucks, springboks, gerenuks, dibatags, and Central Asian gazelles, are often referre ...

or tribe Antilopini.

References

Dwarf antelopes Mammal genera Taxa named by Charles Hamilton Smith {{eventoedungulate-stub