Dwarf musk deer explained

The dwarf musk deer or Chinese forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii,) is an artiodactyl native to southern and central China and northernmost Vietnam. The species name is after the collector Mikhail Mikhailovich Berezovsky. On June 14, 1976, China entered the dwarf musk deer onto its endangered species list.^[1] Four subspecies are recognized:

• Moschus berezovskii berezovskii Flerov, 1929
• Moschus berezovskii bijiangensis Wang & Li, 1993
• Moschus berezovskii caobangis Dao, 1969
• Moschus berezovskii yanguiensis Wang & Ma, 1993

Parasites

As most animals, the dwarf musk deer harbours a number of parasites.^[2] In 2021, a study showed that ten species of Eimeria, which are apicomplexan protozoans living in the digestive tract, were specific of this host.^[3]

Notes and References

1. http://www.earthsendangered.com/profile.asp?view=all&ID=3&sp=735 Endangered Species – Dwarf Musk Deer Facts
2. Hu . Xiao-Long . Liu . Gang . Wei . Yu-Ting . Wang . Yi-Hua . Zhang . Tian-Xiang . Yang . Shuang . Hu . De-Fu . Liu . Shu-Qiang . Regional and seasonal effects on the gastrointestinal parasitism of captive forest musk deer . Acta Tropica . 177 . 2018 . 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.09.021 . 1–8. 28963064 .
3. Gao . Yunyun . Duszynski . Donald W. . Yuan . Fulin . Hu . Defu . Zhang . Dong . Coccidian parasites in the endangered Forest Musk Deer (Moschus berezovskii) in China, with the description of six new species of Eimeria (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) . Parasite . 28 . 2021 . 10.1051/parasite/2021067 . 70. 34665126. 8525326 .