Morphological, cytogenetic and molecular characterization of Mazama rondoni (Miranda Ribeiro, 1914)

Abstract

The Mazama rondoni species has been positioned as a synonymy of Mazama nemorivaga, belonging to the group of gray deer that occupy the Amazon region. The taxonomic classification of M. nemorivaga is inconsistencies suggesting the presence of more than one species within the taxon. The present work aims to contribute to the taxonomy of the genus Mazama by collecting a specimen of M. rondoni in its type locality (near Vilhena-RO) and characterize it morphologically, cytogenetically and molecularly. Thus allowing their comparison with other specimens, in order to know differences between them and to revise the taxonomy of the species. A specimen will be collected in the locality of M. rondoni (Brazil) with the aid of local hunters. The specimen will be characterized by traditional morphology techniques (craniomandibular measurements, biometric measurements, skin coloration), as well as cytogenetic analyzes (G-Band, C-Band, conventional Giemsa staining and Ag-NOR staining) and molecular mitochondrial and nuclear genes). Comparisons with existing samples in databases will provide a information about the taxon positioning for possible validation of the Mazama rondoni species.