Stimpson C M, Utting B, O'Donnell S, Huong N T M, Kahlert T, Manh B V, Khanh P S, Rabett R J
School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen's University Belfast, Elmwood Avenue, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK.
Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DZ, UK.
R Soc Open Sci. 2019 Mar 13;6(3):181461. doi: 10.1098/rsos.181461. eCollection 2019 Mar.
Described at the end of the twentieth century, the large-antlered or giant muntjac, (syn), is a Critically Endangered species currently restricted to the Annamite region in Southeast Asia. Here we report subfossil evidence of giant muntjac, a mandible fragment dated between 11.1 and 11.4 thousand years before present, from northern Vietnam. We describe morphological and metric criteria for diagnosis and consider the specimen in the context of regional archaeological and palaeontological records of . We then consider the palaeoenvironmental context of the specimen and the implications for habitat requirements for extant populations. The new specimen extends the known spatial and temporal range of giant muntjacs in Vietnam and is further evidence that this species was more widely distributed in the Holocene than current records indicate. While regional proxy evidence indicates a drier climate and more open woodland habitats at the onset of the Holocene, contextual evidence indicates that the specimen derived from an animal inhabiting limestone karst forest. This record also supports the assertion that remnant populations are in a refugial state, as a result of anthropogenic pressures, rather than representing a centre of endemism. These facts underscore the urgent need for the conservation of remaining populations.
大角麂或巨麂于20世纪末被描述，是极度濒危物种，目前仅存于东南亚的安南山脉地区。在此，我们报告了来自越南北部的巨麂亚化石证据，一块下颌骨碎片的年代测定为距今1.11万至1.14万年。我们描述了用于诊断的形态学和测量标准，并结合该地区的考古和古生物学记录来考量这个标本。然后，我们考虑了该标本的古环境背景以及对现存种群栖息地需求的影响。这个新标本扩展了越南巨麂已知的时空分布范围，进一步证明该物种在全新世的分布比目前记录所显示的更为广泛。虽然区域代用证据表明全新世开始时气候更干燥，林地栖息地更开阔，但背景证据表明该标本来自一只栖息在石灰岩喀斯特森林中的动物。这一记录也支持了这样的观点，即由于人为压力，残余种群处于避难状态，而非代表一个特有中心。这些事实凸显了保护剩余种群的迫切需求。
