Cervus nippon Temminck, 1838

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 : 110

Cervus nippon Temminck, 1838 —Sika Deer

Cervus nippon Temminck in Siebold, 1837 [1838] p.22; Type locality- Nagasaki, Japan; Won, 1968 p.374; Corbet, 1978 p.200; Han, 1994 p.46; Won & Smith, 1999 p.22; Oh, 2004b p.262; Jo et al., 2012 p.252.

C. hortulorum Swinhoe, 1864 p.169 ; Type locality- Beijing, China; Kishida & Mori, 1931 p.380.

C. mandarinus Milne-Edwards, 1871 p.174 ; Type locality-Beijing, China.

C. dybowskii Taczanowski, 1876 p.123 ; Type locality- Ussuri, Manchuria.

C. mantchuricus Swinhoe, 1864 p.169 ; Type locality- Newchwang (Yingkou), Manchuria; Kishida & Mori, 1931 p.380.

C. hortulorum hortulorum: Kuroda, 1938 p.6 .

C. nippon hortulorum: Tate, 1947 p.341 ; Ellerman & Morrison-Scott, 1951 p.365; Won, 1958 p.431; Won, 1967 p.43; Won, 1968 p.375; Corbet, 1978 p.200; Yoon, 1992 p.128.

C. nippon nippon: Ellerman & Morrison-Scott, 1951 p.365 .

C. nippon mantchuricus: Won, 1958 p.430 ; Won, 1967 p.41; Yoon, 1992 p.126.

Range: Historically, C. nippon inhabited the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and southern coastal islands ( Lee 1965). Recently, the distribution became limited to the Chinese and Russian border areas in Hamgyeongbuk Province and Ryanggang Province, North Korea ( Jin & Ouh 1990; Won & Smith 1999; Fig. 72 ). Although the South Korea populations were extirpated in the 1990s, translocated sika deer from Taiwan released for religious ceremonies became invasive at Mt. Songni National Park ( Koh et al. 2010a). The National Park Service attempted to remove the Taiwanese Sika deer but about 100 feral deer remain (Songni National Park office, Pers. Comm.).

Remarks: Won (1967) listed two subspecies, C. n. mantchuricus in Jeju Island and C. n. hortulorum in the Korean Peninsula. Only one subspecies, C. n. hortulorum , formed populations in Korea after the extirpation of the species on Jeju Island ( Won 1968). Corbet (1978) relegated C. n. mantchuricus as a synonym of C. n. hortulorum . Various populations of C. nippon have an uncertain origin or mixed ancestry. The genetic status of C. n. hortulorum remains particularly uncertain ( Harris 2008).

Conservation status: The North Korean government established habitats for C. nippon in Samjiyeon County and Beakam County as Natural Monuments in 1980. Also, the South Korean government designated C. nippon as an Endangered Species in 2005. However, the species became extinct in South Korea, with no plans for reintroduction. Although the IUCN listed this species as a species of ‘Least Concern’, the Red Data Book for South Korea registered C. nippon as ‘Regionally Extinct’ (NIBR 2012). The Red Data Book for North Korea lists the species as ‘Endangered’ (MAB National Committee of DPR Korea 2002).

Figures

FIGURE 72. Range map of Cervus nippon in Korea.