Tragelaphus sylvaticus

(Sparrman, 1780)

Southern Bushbuck

Taxonomy

Subclass : Theria
Infraclass : Placentalia
Magnorder : Boreoeutheria
Superorder : Laurasiatheria
Order : Artiodactyla
Suborder : Ruminantia
Infraorder : Pecora
Family : Bovidae
Subfamily : Bovinae
Tribe : Tragelaphini
Genus : Tragelaphus
Subgenus : Tragelaphus

Species status

Living
Found in the wild

Authority citation

Kongl. Svenska Vet.-Acad. Nya Handl., Stockholm, p. 197, pl. 7, 1780

Original name as described

Antilope sylvatica

Other common names

Ethiopian Highlands Bushbuck · Eastern Coastal Bushbuck · Chobe Bushbuck · Cape Bushbuck · Limpopo Bushbuck · Zambezi Bushbuck · Uganda Bushbuck · Kavirondo Bushbuck · Maasai Bushbuck · Somali Bushbuck · Menelik's Bushbuck · Imbabala

Type locality

Groot Vatersbosch District, southern Cape, Africa.

Biogeographic realm

Afrotropic

Country distribution

Ethiopia · Somalia · Kenya · Uganda · Rwanda · Burundi · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Tanzania · Angola · Zambia · Malawi · Mozambique · Zimbabwe · Botswana · Namibia · South Africa · Eswatini · Lesotho?

Taxonomy notes

split from T. scriptus based on molecular data, although a recent study suggested returning the two to a single species, the nuclear divergence between the two species is equivalent to that of other species in the genus, suggesting that the two should be recognized as distinct; includes meneliki, fasciatus, and ornatus, which were considered distinct in Groves & Grubb 2011; for additional information regarding the MDD's decision to not follow the Groves & Grubb 2011 Ungulate Taxonomy, see 'Subjective decisions' on the 'About' tab

Taxonomy notes citation

Groves, C. P. & Grubb, P. 2011. Ungulate taxonomy. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland. · Hassanin, A., Houck, M. L., Tshikung, D., Kadjo, B., Davis, H., & Ropiquet, A. (2018). Multi-locus phylogeny of the tribe Tragelaphini (Mammalia, Bovidae) and species delimitation in bushbuck: evidence for chromosomal speciation mediated by interspecific hybridization. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 129, 96-105. · Rakotoarivelo, A. R., O'Donoghue, P., Bruford, M. W., & Moodley, Y. (2019). An ancient hybridization event reconciles mito-nuclear discordance among spiral-horned antelopes. Journal of Mammalogy, 100(4), 1144-1155. · Baird, C. N., Ernst, M., Waurick, I., Blom, M. P., & Bibi, F. (2023). Integrative taxonomy using historical specimens provides evidence for a single species of bushbuck, Tragelaphus scriptus (Mammalia: Bovidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, zlad096. · Rakotoarivelo, A. R., Rambuda, T., Taron, U. H., Stalder, G., O’Donoghue, P., Robovský, J., ... & Moodley, Y. (2024). Complex patterns of gene flow and convergence in the evolutionary history of the spiral-horned antelopes (Tragelaphini). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 108131.

IUCN Red List status

Not Evaluated

Country distribution map

The map below provides a general overview. Most species inhabit only specific regions within countries. Known distribution is shown in green and predicted distribution is in yellow. Hover over the highlighted regions to see the country name.

Names and synonyms

Present and past (if available) associated names to the species. Click on a name to view its details. If the list is long, scroll down to see more.

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