Dispersion of the genus Procapreolus and the relationships between Procapreolus cusanus and the roe deer (Capreolus)

Procapreolus is a Eurasian genus included 10 species spanning to Late Miocene to the Early Pleistocene. The immigration of this and other taxa from the East to Central Europe marks a new step in evolution in European deer. Procapreolus will be replaced by Capreolus, the roe deer, considered a descendant of the former. Procapreolus cusanus, the younger European taxon (lacking the plesiomorph features of the genus), is shown to own a character in the skull typical of telemetacarpal deer, as modern roe deer and all its relatives do. This result strengthens the relationships between the two taxa and points out the necessity of a better definition of the genus Procapreolus.