Andinocervus Ramírez-Chaves, Morales-Martínez, Cardona-Giraldo, Ossa-López, Rivera-Páez & Noguera-Urbano, 2025

Ramírez-Chaves, Héctor E., Morales-Martínez, Darwin M., Cardona-Giraldo, Alexandra, Castellanos, Oscar, Ospina, Oscar, Ossa-López, Paula A., Rivera-Páez, Fredy A. & Noguera-Urbano, Elkin A., 2025, Systematics of the dwarf red brocket, Mazama rufina (Pucheran, 1851) (Mammalia: Artiodactyla: Cervidae) with the description of a new genus, Zootaxa 5711 (2), pp. 223-240 : 233-234

Genus Andinocervus Ramírez-Chaves, Morales-Martínez, Cardona-Giraldo, Ossa-López, Rivera-Páez & Noguera-Urbano , gen. nov.

Type species: Cervus rufinus Pucheran, 1851:561 .

Etymology: Andinocervus (Latin andinus = Andean; cervus = deer). The prefix Andino is a Spanish word meaning “of the Andes ,” which itself is derived from Andes , the mountain range of South America, in which the species inhabits. The suffix cervus is a Latin word for “deer”, and honors the original name in which the nominal species was described ( Cervus rufinus ). The proposed genus name Andinocervus is to be treated as a masculine noun.

Diagnosis: Because Andinocervus is monotypic, this diagnosis applies to both the genus and to A. rufinus . It represents a monophyletic lineage sister to a clade formed by Mazama and Odocoileus . A small brocket, with body length smaller than 900 mm, and hind legs longer than forelegs. Cranial measurements include a skull length of less than 175 mm and an upper toothrow of up to 57 mm. The skull has a deep and well-excavated lacrimal fossa. The antlers are short (> 80 mm) and unbranched ( Figure 4 ), with the shape of small spikes. Dorsal pelage coloration is reddish brown and becomes blackish on the legs, reaching down to the hoofs. Ventral fur coloration is lighter that the dorsum but not very countershading. The face is also blackish forming a mask that includes the chin but not the cheeks, surrounding the eyes. It also has whitish mental and narial patches. Ears with internal borders and part of the posterior half of the pinnae whitish. Abdomen and ventral side of legs vary between ochre and reddish brown with long (~ 70 mm near the genitals) and cottony pelage. Tail is short, up to 150 mm including hairs, with the ventral area whitish.

Distribution: It occurs throughout the northern Andes , from Peru north of the Marañón depression through Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela ( Figure 3 ), at elevations ranging from 1,000 to 3,700 m.

Species account

Figures

FIGURE 3. A. Bioclimatic distribution models using Maxent for Andinocervus rufinus and allopatric breaks in the northern Andes. B. Haplotype network of the Cyt-b of A. rufinus constructed under TCS algorithm.

FIGURE 4. Morphological details of the skull of male Andinocervus rufinus from the Central (left) and Oriental (right) cordilleras of Colombia. Note the deeply excavated lacrimal fossae (arrow).