Agalmaceros Explained

Agalmaceros is a potentially invalid extinct genus of deer of the Cervidae family, that lived in South America during the Pleistocene. The only species currently known is A. blicki.[1] Remains have only been found in Ecuador. It showed a clear affinity to Andean or temperate habitats.[2] Agalmaceros blicki is estimated to have been 60kg (130lb) in weight.[3]

A 2023 paper considered another extinct South American deer genus, Charitoceros, a junior synonym of Agalmaceros; both taxa are diagnosed by the presence of thorns on their antlers. Furthermore, these thorns are symptoms of a pathology that also affects some extant deer; besides thorns, the antlers of Agalmaceros are identical to those of the modern white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Thus, the authors consider Agalmaceros to be itself a junior synonym of O. virginianus, which would render both Agalmaceros and Charitoceros invalid taxa.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Agalmaceros blicki. Fossilworks.org. 17 December 2021.
  2. Ochsenius. Claudio. 1985. Pleniglacial Desertization, Large-AnimalMassExtinction and Pleistocene-Holocene Boundary in South America. Revista de Geografía Norte Grande. 12. 35–47.
  3. Lyons. Kathleen. 2004. Of mice, mastodons and men: human-mediated extinctions on four continents. Evolutionary Ecology Research. 6. 339–358.
  4. Avilla . Leonardo Santos . Román-Carrión . José Luis . Rotti . Alline . 2023-11-06 . A thorny taxonomic issue of Quaternary deer (Cervidae: Mammalia) from the South American Highlands resolved based on the recognition of a paleopathology . Journal of Quaternary Science . en . 10.1002/jqs.3577 . 0267-8179.