Hoplitomeryx sp.

Van Der Geer, Alexandra A. E., 2014, Systematic revision of the family Hoplitomerycidae Leinders, 1984 (Artiodactyla: Cervoidea), with the description of a new genus and four new species, Zootaxa 3847 (1), pp. 1-32 : 27

Hoplitomeryx sp. indet.

Hoplitomeryx ear region type II—Leinders 1984: p. 26–28, pl. 6 [RGM 261.092, RGM 261.093].

Hoplitomeryx ear region type III—Leinders 1984: p. 29, 30 [RGM 260.933].

Hoplitomeryx apulicus Mazza et Rustioni, 2011 — Mazza & Rustioni 2011: p. 1318, table 2 [RGM 178.446, RGM 261.150, RGM 425.091].

Hoplitomeryx falcidens Mazza et Rustioni, 2011 — Mazza & Rustioni 2011: p. 1312 [RGM 178.568, RGM 178.630].

Hoplitomeryx minutus Mazza et Rustioni, 2011 — Mazza & Rustioni 2011: p. 1306 [RGM 261.136].

Hoplitomeryx matthei Mazza et Rustioni, 2011 — Mazza & Rustioni 2011: p. 1320, Fig. 3 , Table 2 [RGM 178.566, RGM 178.474, RGM 261.141, RGM 261.142].

Hoplitomeryx apruthiensis Mazza et Rustioni, 2011 — Mazza & Rustioni 2011: p. 1322 [RGM 425.473, RGM 178.547].

Hoplitomeryx magnus Mazza et Rustioni, 2011 — Mazza & Rustioni 2011: p. 1324, 1325 [RGM 261.144].

Material. Skull fragment RGM 261.092 (ear region type II; Nazario 4) has about the same size as RGM 261.102 ( H. devosi ). The most important difference with the type skull of H. matthei is the extremely dorsal position of the occipital condyls, not observed in any other ruminant, living or fossil. Leinders (1984) regards this as an indication that RGM 261.092 represents a more specialized hoplitomerycid than H. matthei . However, due to the high degree of fragmentation of the cranial parts it is at the moment impossible to estimate the nature of the observed variation and its use for taxonomy. Skull fragment RGM 216.093 (ear region type II) from the same fissure might belong to the same individual ( Leinders 1984). Skull fragment 261.100 (Gar 4) has the same size as the latter two fragments but differs slightly in morphology. This specimen may belong either to the same species or to H. devosi ..

Skull fragment RGM 260.933 (ear region type III; San Giovannino) is much larger than the corresponding part of the holotype skull of H. matthei and seems to represent a relatively young animal ( Leinders 1984). This specimen could therefore either belong to H. macpheei or to H. kriegsmani .

A number of specimens from Gargano mentioned by Mazza & Rustioni (2011) as paratypes of one of his species cannot be assigned properly to any described species. These specimens are either too fragmentary (generally mandible fragments with two or three elements and no complete molar row) or juvenile. Indeterminate mandible fragments are the following: RGM 178.446 (small-sized, p3–m2), RGM 261.150 (small-sized, p4–m2), RGM 425.091 (small-sized, p3–m1), RGM 178.568 and RGM 178.630 (juvenile), RGM 261.136 (small-sized, p3–p4), RGM 178.474 (alveole for m2), RGM 261.141 (juvenile, medium-sized, m1–m2, m3 unerupted; could be H. macpheei or larger), RGM 261.142 (juvenile, small-sized, dp4–m1), RGM 178.547 (juvenile, small-sized, m1- m2, m3 is erupting; could be H. matthei or larger), RGM 261.144 (juvenile, medium-sized, dp4–m1, erupting m2; could be H. macpheei or larger). Other indeterminate specimens are RGM 425.473 (a scapula fragment, mentioned as mandible fragment in Mazza & Rustioni 2011: p. 1322) and RGM 178.566 (a juvenile medium-sized maxilla fragment, DP4–M2, erupting M3; could be H. macpheei or larger).

Figures

FIGURE 3. A double-logarithmic scatter of length and proximal transversal diameter (mm) of the metacarpal of several deer taxa shows that Hoplitomeryx shows an unusual large range for one species, also if we include the living red deer Cervus elaphus. H, Hoplitomeryx spp.; C, Candiacervus spp.; k, Karpathos deer; M, Megaloceros cazioti; A, Axis lydekkeri; D, Dama carburangelensis; e, living Cervus elaphus range from the smallest to the largest subspecies. The deer from Karpathos (k) is in the literature mentioned as Candiacervus but its morphology differs significantly from that of Candiacervus proper, which is confined to the boundaries of Crete. Axis lydekkeri (A) is a Pleistocene deer of Java. Megaloceros (= Praemegaceros) cazioti (M) is the terminal species of the lineage of Pleistocene deer of Sardinia. Dama carburangelensis (D) is a Late Pleistocene deer from Sicily. Data are personal measurements, except for Candiacervus (De Vos 1979) and the largest extant Cervus elaphus subspecies (Szaniawski 1966). The smallest extant subspecies of Cervus elaphus (e) is from Corsica, the largest from the Carpathians.