Is Rangifer tarandus actually 5-6 different species, & what is the true status of the finnish forest reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus/Rangifer fennicus)?
We know reindeer to be circumpolarly distributed with a widespread population and a late Pliocene temporal origin, having an intrinsic connection to northern cultures of man, both prehistoric and contemporary. So, has anyone realized that living reindeer may actually be 5–6 different species? Apparently, Lee Harding thinks so, as he has managed to provide an article dedicated to their taxonomic status, focusing mainly on genetic and morphological grounds for speciation. There's also a claim in the article (authored by Lee Harding) that Rangifer tarandus fennicus descends from an extinct non-monophyletic (in relation to other reindeer) ancestor within Rangifer. If one reads the article, is there enough to conclude Rangifer fennicus is actually a descendent of a taxon mistakenly attributed to Cervus?
web sources: https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/80233/
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"Forest reindeer
Within Eurasian reindeer (Fig. 3), the most different in size and ecology from R. t. tarandus is the Finnish forest reindeer R. t. fennicus. Forest reindeer were probably isolated the longest of other forms and their apparent descent from the fossil reindeer Cervus guettardi Desmarest, 1820, precludes assignment to R. tarandus. Morphological, ecological, and genetic differences suggest R. fennicus Lönnberg, 1909 (Miller 1912a) as the appropriate name, with junior synonyms silvicola, transuralensis, and dichotomus (Fig. 3)."
Cervus guettardi? Surely that must've been a mistake in naming..
Rangifer guettardi would be more accurate, as Cervus is a genera of the Cervinae (Plesiometacarpalia) subfamily, being diverged from the Capreolinae (Telemetacarpalia) subfamily since the Miocene. Rangiferini/Capreolini is the tribe that Rangifer belongs to, and it is basal within the respective tribe.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jyrki-liikanen/39709657691
Doesn't look too different from the average Rangifer from my perspective, albeit I'm not a reindeer expert (just an ordinary naturalist).
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