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Issue: Vol. 5711 No. 2: 17 Oct. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-10-17
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.4
Page range: 223-240
Abstract views: 210
PDF downloaded: 102

Systematics of the dwarf red brocket, Mazama rufina (Pucheran, 1851) (Mammalia: Artiodactyla: Cervidae), with the description of a new genus

Grupo de Investigación en Genética; Biodiversidad y Manejo de Ecosistemas (GEBIOME); Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Universidad de Caldas. Calle 65 No. 26-10; Apartado aéreo 275; 170004; Manizales; Caldas; Colombia.; Centro de Museos; Museo de Historia Natural; Universidad de Caldas; Calle 58 No. 21-50; 170004; Manizales; Caldas; Colombia
Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences. Louisiana State University; 119 Foster Hall; 70803; Baton Rouge; Louisiana; USA.; Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones Científicas SINCHI; Programa Ecosistemas y Recursos Naturales; Grupo de Investigación Fauna Amazónica Colombiana; avenida Vásquez Cobo entre calles 15 y 16; Leticia; Colombia.
Grupo de Investigación en Genética; Biodiversidad y Manejo de Ecosistemas (GEBIOME); Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Universidad de Caldas. Calle 65 No. 26-10; Apartado aéreo 275; 170004; Manizales; Caldas; Colombia.
Corporación Autónoma Regional de Caldas; Corpocaldas; Carrera 21 No 23 22 Manizales; Caldas.
Corporación Autónoma Regional de Caldas; Corpocaldas; Carrera 21 No 23 22 Manizales; Caldas.
Grupo de Investigación en Genética; Biodiversidad y Manejo de Ecosistemas (GEBIOME); Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Universidad de Caldas. Calle 65 No. 26-10; Apartado aéreo 275; 170004; Manizales; Caldas; Colombia.
Grupo de Investigación en Genética; Biodiversidad y Manejo de Ecosistemas (GEBIOME); Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Universidad de Caldas. Calle 65 No. 26-10; Apartado aéreo 275; 170004; Manizales; Caldas; Colombia.
Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos; Alexander von Humboldt; Avenida Paseo Bolívar (Circunvalar) 16-20; Bogotá; D. C. Colombia.
Mammalia Mazama rufina Andes phylogenetics

Abstract

The dwarf red brocket, Mazama rufina (Pucheran, 1851) is a small deer with a fragmented distribution in the montane forests of the Andes of Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. Little is known about the phylogenetic relationships and the haplotype diversity of its populations, which show distribution gaps. Here we elucidate the phylogenetic relationships of M. rufina and other neotropical deer using mitochondrial data, and analyze genetic geographic variation of this taxon by using haplotype networks of the Cyt-b gene from northern South America. Our analyses recovered M. rufina as independent clade that is not part of Mazama, and sister to a clade composed of Mazama species (except Mazama chunyi) and Odocoileus. The morphometric data of cranial traits confirms that the dwarf red brocket is among the smallest species of deer in South America, only overlapping with small cis-Andean gray brockets (genus Passalites). Based on these results, we provide a new generic classification for this taxon by placing the dwarf red brocket in a new genus found only in the Andes of northern South America. The Cyt-b haplotype network of the dwarf red brocket showed a strong geographic structure caused by the interplay of Cordilleras and lowland river valleys. The genetic distances between the geographic groups were between 1.4 % (Central Cordillera of Colombia vs. Andes of Ecuador) to 2.52 % (Mérida Cordillera vs. Ecuador). The species range using Extent of Occurrence (EOO) and Area of Occupancy (AOO) was 443,764 and 796 km2, respectively, suggesting that the species could be listed as Near Threatened. However, additional information on population changes and susceptibility to habitat transformation is crucial to evaluate whether the dwarf red brocket can be deemed Vulnerable along its distribution. Compared with previous distribution hypotheses, the revised map suggests less extensive distribution gaps in Colombia and highlights priority areas for future sampling in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

 

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How to Cite

Ramírez-Chaves, H.E., Morales-Martínez, D.M., Cardona-Giraldo, A., Castellanos, O., Ospina, O., Ossa-López, P.A., Rivera-Páez, F.A. & Noguera-Urbano, E.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), 223–240. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.4