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Nesotragus

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Nesotragus
Suni (Nesotragus moschatus)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Nesotraginae
Genus: Nesotragus
von Düben (de), 1846
Species

Nesotragus /nəˈsɒtrəɡəs/ is a genus of dwarf antelope comprising two species, endemic to Africa, and formerly but incorrectly considered a synonym of the similarly named genus Neotragus. Recent nucleic acid studies demonstrate that the two species of Nesotragus are not closely related to the genus Neotragus. Members of the Nesotragus are the only members of the subfamily Nesotraginae or tribe Nesotragini and are more closely related to the impala, while the royal antelope remains a member of the subfamily Antilopinae or tribe Antilopini.[1] The scientific name comes from Greek νῆσος (nêsos), "island", and τράγος (trágos), "he-goat", apparently in reference to the antelope species' habitat in wet rainforests.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Bärmann, Eva V. & Schikora Tim. The polyphyly of Neotragus – Results from genetic and morphometric analyses. MammalianBiology 79 (2014) 283–286 https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2014.01.001
  2. ^ Palmer, Theodore Sherman (1904). Index Generum Mammalium: A List of the Genera and Families of Mammals. Washington: Government Printing Office. p. 63.