Cervus elaphus acoronatus
| Cervus elaphus acoronatus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Skeleton in anatomical connection of Cervus elaphus acoronatus discovered in Sovere, Bergamo | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Cervidae |
| Subfamily: | Cervinae |
| Genus: | Cervus |
| Species: | C. elaphus |
| Subspecies: | C. e. acoronatus |
| Trinomial name | |
| Cervus elaphus acoronatus (Beninde 1937) | |
Cervus elaphus acoronatus is an extinct subspecies of deer belonging to the family Cervidae. Some authors consider it a distinct species, named Cervus acoronatus.
Description
Cervus elaphus acoronatus was a deer of large size, similar to that of the existing Cervus elaphus, with large and well developed antlers. In this archaic form the antlers lack at their apex, even in adult individuals, the characteristic multi-pointed crown (hence the Latin name acoronatus, meaning without crown). In this subspecies the antlers have a simple distal fork oriented transversally to the axis of the body.
It is a deer of Eastern origin reported in Central Europe in Pleistocene. The fossil records of Cervus elaphus acoronatus start in the lower Middle Pleistocene. Later the morphology of the antlers changed, developing the mentioned crown.
References
- Global Names Indexer
- Anna Paganoni, Benedetto Sala - Il cervo di Sovere
- Taxonomy and biostratigraphy of Middle Pleistocene deer remains from Arago
- Laura Abbazzi, A. Azzaroli - Occurrence of palmated Cervus elaphus from Italian late Pleistocene localities