Valid and invalid nomenclature of living and fossil deer, Cervidae

Abstract

Investigation of cervid nomenclature has revealed unavailable or preoccupied names still in use; unnoticed or unevaluated homonymy; unused or unnoticed names, including senior synonyms; unnoticed or misidentified types of genera; mis-cited authorship; unjustified emendations of original spelling; and corrections of nomenclatural errors that have been neglected in subsequent literature. The following names appearing in recent literature are affected: Pliocervinae Khomenko, Neocervinae, Cervulinae (unavailable names); Capreolinae, Alceinae, Rangiferinae (attributable to Brookes, 1828, not to authors who changed their rank or corrected original spelling; take precedence over Odocoileinae when the taxa are combined, contrary to common practice); Alcinae (emendation due to Blyth, not Jerdon, now superseded by Alceinae, with priority over Rangiferinae - where relevant - here designated); Muntiacinae (author is Knottnerus-Meyer, 1907, not Pocock, 1923; Elaphodinae here designated a junior synonym); Megacerinae Viret (preoccupied by Megaloceridae Brookes, emended to Megalocerotinae); Blastocerus Wagner (an available name of which Blastoceros Fitzinger is an unjustified emendation, not a senior synonym of Ozotoceros; lectotype confirmed to be Cervus paludosus Desmarest, 1822); Dorcelaphus (junior synonym of Odocoileus, not a senior synonym of Blastocerus); Mazama gouazoubira, Muntiacus feai, Pudu pudu (unjustified emendations); Cervus japonicus Otsuka, 1967 (preoccupied, new name proposed); Cervus elaphus montanus Botezat, 1903 (nomen nudum and preoccupied); and Pseudodama (preoccupied by Metacervocerus).