Capreolus pygargus ( Pallas, 1771 )

Jo, Yeong-Seok, Baccus, John T. & Koprowski, John L., 2018, Mammals of Korea: a review of their taxonomy, distribution and conservation status, Zootaxa 4522 (1), pp. 1-216 : 105-107

Capreolus pygargus ( Pallas, 1771) —Siberian Roe Deer

Cervus pygargus Pallas, 1771 p.453 ; Type locality- Bugulma uplands, source of River Sok, Russia.

Cervus pygargus var. mantschurucus Noack, 1889 p.15 .

Capreolus bedfordi Thomas, 1908 p.645 ; Type locality- 100 mile NW of Taiyuen Fu (Taiyuan), Shanxi Province, China.

Capreolus bedfordi bedfordi: Kuroda, 1917 p.363 ; (Gwangneung near Seoul): Kishida & Mori, 1931 p.380.

Capreolus pygargus manchuricus: Kishida & Mori, 1931 p.380

Capreolus capreolus ochracea Barclay, 1935 p.626 ; Type locality- Korea; Kuroda, 1938 p.7.

Capreolus pygargus pygargus: Kuroda, 1938 p.7 .

Capreolus capreolus bedfordi: Tate, 1947 p.337 ; Ellerman & Morrison-Scott, 1951 p.373; Won, 1958 p.432; Won, 1967 p.52; Won, 1968 p.367; Corbet, 1978 p.204; Yoon, 1992 p.133.

Capreolus capreolus pygargus: Won, 1958 p.431 ; Won, 1968 p.362; Yoon, 1992 p.133.

Capreolus capreolus: Won, 1968 p.360 .

Capreolus pygargus: Han, 1994 p.46 ; Won & Smith, 1999 p.23; Oh, 2004b p.269.

Capreolus pygargus tianschanicus: Oh, 2004b p.270 ; Jo et al., 2012 p.252 .

Range: The range of C. pygargus covers all of the Korean Peninsula and Jeju Island, the latter having the most abundant population ( Fig. 69 ).

Remarks: A single subspecies is supposed to occur in Korea ( Oh 2004b). However, while DNA analysis indicated a small genetic difference between the peninsular and continental populations, the Jeju Island population had substantial genetic differences compared to the peninsular and continental populations ( Koh & Yang 2000; Koh et al. 2012a). Therefore, Koh et al. (2012a) suggested the population on Jeju Island should be recognized as a distinct subspecies. Xiao et al. (2007) showed that the average mtDNA distance between northeastern China and European roe deer (5.8%) was more than twice that between northeastern China and Korean roe deer (2.7%). The authors concluded that roe deer of northeastern China, Korea and Siberia were a single species ( Capreolus pygargus ), distinct from the European roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus ).

Conservation status: The continuous use in folk medicine of antlers of roe deer caused a decline in populations in Korea. Due to active conservation efforts, the density of roe deer on Jeju Island in 2007 increased to 5.33 individuals per km 2 ( Kim et al. 2007). On the other hand, the density of mainland populations in South Korea declined to 1.86 individuals per km 2 (unpublished data from Wildlife Survey by the NIBR). Siberian roe deer on Jeju Island are now considered an ‘agricultural pest’ because of their damage to crops ( Oh 2011). Seoul, Ulsan, Gwangju Metropolitan governments and Jeollanam Province Provincial government designated this species as a Provincially Protected Species. Like mainland populations of Siberian roe deer, populations of most wildlife game species declined or even became extirpated in North Korea by illegal poachers using snares (William Duckworth, IUCN, Pers. Comm.).

Figures

FIGURE 69. Range map of Capreolus pygargus in Korea.