Early Pliocene deer of Central and Eastern European regions and inferred phylogenetic relationships

摘要

A revision of Early Pliocene deer from Poland, Slovakia, Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, and South Russia is proposed in the presentstudy. The following forms of Cervidae are described: Muntiacus polonicus/pliocaenicus (most probably, only one species), Eostylocerospidoplitschkoi, Procapreolus moldavicus, Croizetoceros ramosus, "Cervus" warthae, "Cervus" lyra, Arvernoceros cf. ardei, Metacervoceruspardinensis. The article also includes discussion of systematical and taxonomical questions of the cervid genera Pliocervus, Pavlodaria,Capreolus, Croizetoceros, Axis, Rusa, Cervus, and Dama. Croizetoceros is regarded as genus incertae sedis. "Pliocervus kutchurganicus" is ajunior synonyme of Procapreolus moldavicus. The ancestral type of deer, evolution, and phylogeny of Cervidae are discussed.