Latin American deer diversity and conservation: A review of status and distribution

We reviewed the scientific literature published from 1940 to 2002 on Latin American (Mexican and Central and South American) deer (Mammalia: Cervidae), focusing on conservation status and prediction of geographic distributions. The extant Latin American deer are the most diverse deer assemblage in the world (Cervinae: one genus, one species: Elk [Cervus elaphus]; Odocoilineae: six genera, 18 species: White-tailed deer [Odocoileus virginianus], mule deer [O. hemionus], marsh deer [Blastocerus dochotomus], pampas deer [Ozotoceros bezoarticus], huemul [Hippocamelus bisulcus], taruca [Hippocamelus antisensis], greater pudu [Pudu mephistophiles], lesser pudu [Pudu pudu], and six recognized species of brocket deer [Mazama americana, M. gouazoubira, M. nana, M. bricenni, M. chunyi, and M. rufina] as well as three recently proposed species [M. pandora, M. rondoni, and M. bororo]). Within this group, three genera (Odocoileus, Hippocamelus, and Blastocerus) have been well studied, whereas the genus Mazama, P. puda, P. mephistophiles, and H. antisensis have received little attention. The marsh deer, pampas deer, taruca, huemul, lesser pudu, and two Mazama species (Mazama nana and M. bororo) are the most endangered species. They are each listed as Convention International for the Trade of Endangered Species Appendix I and are considered by the International Union for Nature Conservation to be near threatened or endangered. We updated or created distribution maps for these species. Current research predominantly centres on easily available species (e.g., white-tailed deer in Mexico) or endangered species (e.g., marsh deer in Brazil). In contrast, the ecology and conservation status of the pudu, taruca, and Mazama sp. remain largely unknown.