''Cervavitus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of prehistoric

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

that lived from the late

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

(

Vallesian The Vallesian age is a period of geologic time (11.6–9.0 Ma) within the Miocene used more specifically with European Land Mammal Ages. It precedes the Turolian age and follows the Astaracian age. The so-called Vallesian Crisis resulted in th ...

age) to the Early

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

(

Villafranchian Villafranchian age ( ) is a period of geologic time (3.5–1.0 Ma) spanning the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene used more specifically with European Land Mammal Ages. Named by Italian geologist Lorenzo Pareto for a sequence of terrestrial se ...

age) in parts of Western and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and China.

Description

It is characterized by having thorny antlers finished in two or three points, brachyodont teeth, molars with a primitive fold (known as the "''

Palaeomeryx ''Palaeomeryx'' is an extinct genus of Artiodactyla, of the family Palaeomerycidae, endemic to Europe and Asia from the Miocene epoch, 16.9 – 7.25 Annum, Ma, existing for approximately . Taxonomy ''Palaeomeryx'' was named by von Meyer (1 ...

'' fold") and complete lateral metacarpals on their feet, which would serve to move through slope areas.

Taxonomy

Due to its particular position in the systematics and phylogeny of deer, is considered to form part of the first branches of cervids more advanced than the

muntiacine The Cervinae or the Old World deer, are a subfamily of deer. Alternatively, they are known as the plesiometacarpal deer, due to having lost the parts of the second and fifth metacarpal bones closest to the foot (though retaining the parts away fr ...

s, and perhaps is closely related to the branch that would give rise to the modern genus ''

Cervus ''Cervus'' is a genus of deer that primarily are native to Eurasia, although one species occurs in northern Africa and another in North America. In addition to the species presently placed in this genus, it has included a whole range of other s ...

'', although it has traditionally been classified as part of a separate subfamily called Pliocervinae.

Evolution

''Cervavitus'' probably evolved in forested areas of Eastern Europe and then disperse during the Miocene to Western Europe and East Asia, taking advantage of the moist forests of Eurasia at the time, but the progressive aridity of parts of Asia and Europe since the Pliocene and the beginning of the Pleistocene, as a result of changes like the elevation of the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

, forced these deer to take refuge in southern China, where they evolved into or were replaced by the modern deer genera '' Rusa'' and ''

Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...

''.

References

*Khomenko, J., 1913: La faune méotique du Village Taraklia du district de Bendery. ''Annuaire géologique et minéralogique de la Russie'', 15: 107–143. *Zdansky, O. (1925). Fossile Hirsche Chinas. ''Palaeontologica Sinica'', C, 2: 1-94. *Teilhard de Chardin, P. & Trassaert, M. (1937). Pliocene Camelidae, Giraffidae and Cervidae of S.E. Shansi. ''Palaeontologica Sinica'', n. ser. C, 102: 1-56. *Vislobokova, I.A. (1990). The Fossil Deer of Eurasia. ''Sciences Press'', Moscow, 208 pp *Vislobokova, I.A. (2007). New data on late Miocene mammals of Kohfidisch, Austria. ''Paleontological Journal'', 41: 451–460. doi:10.1134/S0031030107040119 *Petronio, C.; Krakhmalnaya, T.; Bellucci, L. & Di Stefano G. (2007). Remarks on some Eurasian Pliocervines: Characteristics, evolution, and relationships with the tribe Cervini. ''Geobios'', 40: 113–130. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2006.01.002

External links

Cervavitus
on Palaeobiology Database Prehistoric deer Miocene Artiodactyla Pliocene Artiodactyla Prehistoric Artiodactyla genera {{Paleo-eventoedungulate-stub