The Iranian gazelle as a possible new species in genus Gazella

@michalsloviak @simontonge @capracornelius

There is a type of gazelle (genus Gazella) in Iran, which may deserve to be recognised as a species of its own.

I suggest

  • the scientific name Gazella shikarii and the subspecies names Gazella shikarii shikarii and Gazella shikarii karamii, and
  • the common names Iranian gazelle (for the species), Kavir gazelle (for subspecies shikarii, which is restricted to the edges of the Kavir Desert), and Bushehr gazelle (for subspecies karamii, which is restricted to the semi-deserts near the Persian Gulf).

As at November 2020, there are only three photos of this postulated species in iNaturalist, viz.

  • one of a dead specimen of the Kavir gazelle, and
  • two of living adult males of the Bushehr gazelle.

However, there are dozens of photos, some of them excellent, of the Kavir gazelle on the Web, which can be sought under 'jebeer', 'gebeer', 'kavir', 'turan' and 'naybandan'.

I have been able to open the following:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Gazella_bennettii_in_Iran_01.jpg and https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/A_group_of_Gazella_bennettii_in_Iran_02.jpg and https://www.zoochat.com/community/media/indian-gazelle-chinkara.172127/ and https://www.iranjasminco.com/en_package/304_Kavir-National-Park-Safari and https://media.tehrantimes.com/d/t/2020/06/15/4/3477262.jpg and https://mapio.net/pic/p-47809730/ and https://travelartin.com/iran-desert-animals/#lg=1&slide=0 and https://www.tappersia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/98.jpg and http://www.ecocci.org/eco_chamber_news/item/6590-kavir-national-park-a-protected-zone-in-iran.

There is a good photo 'jebeer gazelle' by Fallahzadeh Wildlife Photography in https://www.visitouriran.com/blog/the-narrative-of-conservationists-and-their-efforts-in-iran/.

The website www.hadiansari.ir also contains several photos of 'gebeer' which I cannot open.

Current thinking among taxonomists has been to lump the Iranian gazelle into the Indian gazelle (Gazella bennettii).

However, this is unsatisfactory for several reasons.

Firstly, the Iranian gazelle looks as similar to the dorcas gazelle (Gazella dorcas) of Africa as it does to the Indian gazelle.

Secondly, Groves and Grubb (2011) found no intermediates with Gazella bennettii where the ranges abut in Eastern Iran.

This lack of intermediates is despite the two subspecies of the Iranian gazelle being contiguous with the Indian gazelle (which is called 'eastern jebeer' in Iran), while being separated from each other by the main mountain chain of Iran.

The Kavir gazelle can be recognised by a combination of the following features.

  • The horns of males bow outwards more than in the Indian gazelle, while the horns of females are remarkably long.
  • The ears are proportionately larger than in the other gazelles of Iran.
  • There is less banding of the flank than in any other gazelle.
  • The pale ventral part of the torso is white, not smudged as in both the Indian gazelle and the goitred gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) of Iran.
  • The dark spot on the front of the face is hardly noticeable.
  • There is surprising uniformity of colouration, in contrast to the obvious individual variation found in most other types of gazelle.

It is likely that the taxonomic status of gazelles will continue to be argued, this way or that.

However, I offer naturalists a refreshed search image.

Recognising the distinctiveness of the Iranian gazelle may help it to be brought to the full light that such a graceful antelope deserves - beyond its current main interest as one of the few prey species remaining for the endangered cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) in Iran.

Posted on November 27, 2020 09:25 PM by milewski milewski

Comments

Apparently Acinonyx jubatus venaticus is functionally extinct.

Posted by paradoxornithidae over 1 year ago

Interesting, unfortunately the political situation in Iran prevents much research into this Gazella taxa, which may (as it’s suggested by your keen eye) be of novel affinity, taxonomically.

Posted by paradoxornithidae over 1 year ago

Have only occasionally been paying attention to the Iranian gazelles (non-subgutturosa). I could never make a connection to Gazella dorcas from what I have seen in alive individuals and therefore never could relate to a paper on morphology and relatedness authored by Groves (et al ? - mainly they were filling sand into the cranial cavities and measuring volumes).
However central and eastern individuals to me looked like bennetti, whereas western and northern more like Gazella gazella.
So I contemplated Iran being a secondary contact zone of G. bennetti and G. gazella with intergrades. Perhaps G. gazella and G. bennetti could be considered conspecific anyways, but speciation in gazelles is truly complex and hybridisation may play a big role beyond the limits of closest related taxa.
Southern and insular Iranian gazelles of the Gulf region are certainly complex, too. But maybe for different reasons (early human interventions?)
I admit and it is obvious I am naive in ignorant here, just wanted to give an initial instinctive feedback to your post (which this time I found difficult to wrap my head around. It seemed a little confused and didn't help me much in my very own confusion if I may say so.)

Posted by capracornelius over 1 year ago

Yes, a possibility of the iranian gazelles being a result of hybridization is a distinct possibility.

Posted by paradoxornithidae over 1 year ago

@capracornelius
Many thanks for your comment. I am sure I could improve the clarity of my commentary on this topic, and maybe I should reexamine the entity in question (I wrote this Post nearly two years ago). I wonder whether there is now more, or less, photographic material available on the Web.

Posted by milewski over 1 year ago

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