Cervinae

Classification and species

The following species are recognised in extant genera:

• Tribe Muntiacini
  • Genus Elaphodus
    • Tufted deer (E. cephalophus)
  • Genus Muntiacus
    • Bornean yellow muntjac (M. atherodes)
    • Hairy-fronted muntjac (M. crinifrons)
    • Fea's muntjac (M. feae)
    • Gongshan muntjac (M. gongshanensis)
    • Malabar red muntjak (M. malabaricus)
    • Northern red muntjac (M. vaginalis)
    • Southern red muntjac (M. muntjak)
    • Sumatran muntjac (M. montanum)
    • Pu Hoat muntjac (M. puhoatensis)
    • Leaf muntjac (M. putaoensis)
    • Reeves's muntjac (M. reevesi)
    • Roosevelt's muntjac (M. rooseveltorum)
    • Truong Son muntjac or Annamite muntjac (M. truongsonensis)
    • Giant muntjac (M. vuquangensis)
• Tribe Cervini ("true" deer)
  • Genus Dama
    • Common fallow deer (D. dama)
    • Persian fallow deer (D. mesopotamica)
  • Genus Axis
    • Chital (A. axis)
    • Calamian deer (A. calamianensis)
    • Bawean deer (A. kuhlii)
    • Indian hog deer (A. porcinus)
  • Genus Rucervus
    • Barasingha (R. duvaucelii)
    • Eld's deer (R. eldii)
    • †Schomburgk's deer (R. schomburgki)
  • Genus Elaphurus
    • Père David's deer (E. davidianus)
  • Genus Rusa
    • Visayan spotted deer or Prince Alfred's deer (R. alfredi)
    • Philippine deer or Philippine sambar (R. mariannus)
    • Javan rusa deer (R. timorensis)
    • Sambar (R. unicolor)
  • Genus Cervus
    • Thorold's deer (C. albirostris)
    • Elk or American wapiti (C. canadensis)
    • Red deer (C. elaphus)
    • Central Asian red deer (C. hanglu)
    • Sika deer (C. nippon)

The taxonomy of Cervini is poorly resolved due to conflict between nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA phylogenies:

Mitchondrial DNA phylogeny after Heckeberg (2020) and Xiao et al. 2023

Nuclear DNA phylogeny after Heckeberg (2020)

Extinct genera

• †Amphiprox
• †Cervavitus? (Eurasia, Late Miocene-Early Pleistocene)
• †Croizetoceros?
• †Dicrocerus
• †Euprox
• †Praesinomegaceros
• †Heteroprox
• †Metacervocerus
• †Praeelaphus
• †Megaloceros (Eurasia, Early/Middle Pleistocene-Holocene, ~5700 BC)
• †Praemegaceros (Europe, Early Pleistocene-Holocene, ~5500 BC)
• †Pseudodama (Eurasia, Early Pleistocene)
• †Sinomegaceros (Central and East Asia, Early-Late Pleistocene)
• †Megaceroides (North Africa, Late Pleistocene-Holocene, ~ 4000 BC)
• †Eucladoceros (Eurasia, Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene)
• †Candiacervus (Crete, Late Pleistocene)
• †Haploidoceros (Europe, Middle-Late Pleistocene)
• †Xenocervulus (Europe, Early Pliocene)