Odocoileus peruvianus (Gray)

SPECIMENS COLLECTED: None.

OTHER MATERIAL: The holotype of Odocoileus peruvianus consul Lönnberg is an adult female specimen (NHRS A63 /0094) , collected by L. Söderström in 1920 at ‘‘Guamani on the road to Papallacta, altitude 12,000 feet’’ (Lönnberg, 1922: 13; O. Grönwall, personal commun.). Additional specimens of white­tailed deer (AMNH 66743, 66744) were collected by H.E. Anthony between 4100 and 4300 m on Cerro Antisana in 1923.

TAXONOMY: Cabrera (1961) and most subsequent authors (including Grubb, 1993) treated Odocoileus peruvianus as a synonym or subspecies of O. virginianus, but all South American white­tailed deer appear to be diagnostically distinct from the latter species (Molina and Molinari, 1999). Pending a comprehensive revision of the Neotropical forms of Odocoileus, I recognize peruvianus (with type locality in the Peruvian highlands) as a distinct species following Molina and Molinari’s (1999) provisional taxonomy.

REMARKS: White­tailed deer are said to be common throughout the páramo landscapes surrounding Cerro Antisana (Black, 1982), but I did not observe any in the course of my fieldwork.