Deer from the Early Pliocene Prioziornoe, Kuchurgan River Valley (Moldova, Eastern Europe)

Abstract

We here describe new cervid material from the rich Early Pliocene fauna of Priozernoe situated on the western slope of the lower part of the valley of Kuchurgan River (Eastern Moldova). An important part of this study aims the taxonomy and systematics of the Kuchurgan cervids. A new genus is established for the small muntjaclike cervids from the Pliocene of Italy, Central and South-eastern Europe. The fauna of Priozernoe contains three cervid species: Praeelaphus australorientalis Croitor, 2017, Procapreolus moldavicus (Janovskaya, 1954), and Eostyloceros pidoplitschkoi Korotkevich, 1964, which we propose to include in a new genus. Such a characteristic association of cervid species resembles the fauna from Priozernoe to Beresti (Romania), suggesting the similar geological age. Our results confirm the earlier conclusions on the fauna Priozernoe as the youngest among Kuchurgan faunas and its close affinity with the Moldavian faunal assemblage from the Carbolia Beds.