New large mammal species in Vietnam

New species in Vietnam

Pseudoryx nghetinhensis
Megamuntiacus vuquangesis

Until this decade, no new large mammal species have been described for many years. Our knowledge of the faunal diversity of Vietnam was impeded by years of war and limited international contacts.

Pseudoryx nghetinhensis

This is the first of the new mammal species discovered. First found in Vu Quang forest reserve, which is in Ha Tinh province of north central Vietnam. Specimens are also known from Nghe An province just to the north, and it is suspected from Thua Thien-Hue province and Dak Lak in the southern central highlands. Based on this information, we believe that Pseudoryx nghetinhensis has a wider distribution.

Sao La: Pseudoryx nghetinhensis
This photo shows the characteristic long, recurved spindle-shaped horns of this species.
Credit: Forest Inventory and Planning Institute and V. Weitzel

Megamuntiacus vuquangensis

This robust muntjak deer was discovered in Vu Quang forest reserve, in Ha Tinh province. Specimens have been found in Nghe An province, and in Dak Lac province. This suggests that Megamuntiacus vuquangensis also has a wider much distribution than is known. See also Schaller and Verba (1996) for recent analysis of material from Laos.

Mang Lon: Megamuntiacus vuquangensis
This specimen shows the robustness of this deer, which is about the size of a large dog. The antlers have shorter, thicker pedicel or base and longer tines than the common Muntiacus muntjac.
Credit: Forest Inventory and Planning Institute and V. Weitzel

Another new species of muntjak deer, Muntiacus trungsonensis has been identified in scrub forest in the heavily war-damaged but dense scrub forest of Quang Tri in Vietnam'centre.

DESCRIPTION OF THE GIANT MUNTJAC
(MEGAMUNTIACUS VUQUANGENSIS) IN LAOS

GEORGE B. SCHALLER AND ELISABETH S. VRBA

Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY 10460 (GBS)
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University,
P.O. Box 6666, New Haven, CT 06511 (ESV)

The giant muntjac (Megamuntiacus vuquangensis) was discovered in 1994 in evergreen forests of the Annamite Mountains that border Laos (Lao People's Democratic Republic) and Vietnam. We describe its known distribution in Laos and provide the first detailed description of the species. Comparison of its skull and antlers with those of sympatric red muntjacs (Muntiacus muntjak) and other muntjacs support its designation as a distinct species. Morphological and genomic DNA data suggest that the giant muntjac belongs with other muntjacs in the genus Muntiacus and not in a genus of its own.

Source: Journal of Mammalogy 77(3):675-683 (1996)

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Source :
http://coombs.anu.edu.au/~vern/species.html
http://coombs.anu.edu.au/~vern/species/schaller.html