Candiacervus

Candiacervus
Temporal range: late Middle - Late Pleistocene
Specimen of Candiacervus sp. II
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Cervidae
Genus: †Candiacervus
Kuss, 1975
Species
  • †Candiacervus ropalophorus de Vos, 1984
  • †Candiacervus cretensis (Simonelli, 1907) (type)
  • †Candiacervus dorothensis (Capasso Barbato, 1990)
  • †Candiacervus rethymensis Kuss, 1975
  • †Candiacervus major (Capasso Barbato and Petronio, 1986)
  • †Candiacervus devosi van der Geer, 2018
  • †Candiacervus listeri van der Geer, 2018
  • †Candiacervus reumeri van der Geer, 2018

Candiacervus is an extinct genus of deer native to Pleistocene Crete.[1] Due to a lack of other herbivores, the genus underwent an adaptive radiation, filling niches occupied by other taxa on the mainland. Due to the small size of Crete, some species underwent insular dwarfism,[2] the smallest species, C. ropalophorus, stood about 40 centimetres (16 in) at the shoulders when fully grown,[3] while other species were relatively large and comparable in size to mainland deer species. Some species (C. ropalophorus) are noted for their peculiar, elongate club-shaped antlers, though other species have more normal antlers.

  1. ^ Van der Geer, A.A.E., Dermitzakis, M., De Vos, J. 2006. Crete before the Cretans: the reign of dwarfs. Pharos 13, 121-132. Athens: Netherlands Institute.PDF
  2. ^ Van der Geer, A.A.E., De Vos, J., Dermitzakis, M., Lyras, G., 2009. Hoe dieren op eilanden evolueren. Majorca, Ibiza, Kreta, Sardiniie, Sicilie, Japan, Madagaskar, Malta. Utrecht: Veen Magazines; ISBN 978-90-8571-169-8.Ga naar Bruna Archived 2013-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Kolb, Christian; Scheyer, Torsten M; Lister, Adrian M; Azorit, Concepcion; de Vos, John; Schlingemann, Margaretha AJ; Rössner, Gertrud E; Monaghan, Nigel T; Sánchez-Villagra, Marcelo R (December 2015). "Growth in fossil and extant deer and implications for body size and life history evolution". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 15 (1): 19. Bibcode:2015BMCEE..15...19K. doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0295-3. ISSN 1471-2148. PMC 4332446. PMID 25887855.