Het kleine hert van Tegelen (Cervus rhenanus Dubois, 1904): Een onderzoek naar synoniemen onder vroegpleistocene Europese soorten

Recent study of all the material now available of the so-called ’smaller deer’ (Cervus rhenanus DUBOIS, 1904) from the Early Pleistocene Tegelen clay strongly supports some earlier opinions with regard to the synonymity of this species and Cervus philisi SCHAUB, 1941 from Senèze, France. Antlers, dentition as well as the postcranial skeleton of both species have proven to be biometrically indistinguishable. Since C. philisi is considered to comprise two subspecies ( C.p. philisi and C.p. valliensis, HEINTZ, 1970), the nomenclatorial priority gained by Cervus rhenanus DUBOIS, 1904 gives rise to the following three subspecies: C. rhenanus rhenanus, C. rhenanus philisi and C. rhenanus valliensis. The probable identity of C. philisi and C. perolensis, though poorly based for lack of material on the side of the latter, would lead to a further simplification.