Hair coat of the water deer Hydropotes inermis (Cervidae, Artiodactyla) – a new species in the fauna of Russia

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Abstract

For the first time, the hair cover and hair microstructure of an adult male Hydropotes inermis from the Primorsky region of Russia were studied using light and scanning electron microscopy. The absence of abundant underfur, sparse wool and its weak layering are characteristic of this inhabitant of the temperate monsoon and tropical zones, which does not need an effective thermal protection.The alveolar and lattice medulla of the hair is similar to that of other deer, is well developed, and increases the heat-protective properties of the hair, since seasonal and daily fluctuations in temperature and humidity can be significant. The cuticle pattern is similar to that of deer tribes Alceini and Capreolini. The hair serves as reliable protection for the water deer from mechanical damage when moving through thickets of bushes and grasses along the banks of rivers and swamps in the biotopes that this deer inhabits, which is facilitated by the significant thickness and length of the hairs on the back, sides and thighs. The knotty nature of the hairs protects the deer’s skin from the sharp growths of aquatic and marsh plants.

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About the authors

O. F. Chernova

Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS

Author for correspondence.
Email: olga.chernova.moscow@gmail.com
Russian Federation, Moscow

E. М. Shchelkanov

State University of Education

Email: olga.chernova.moscow@gmail.com
Russian Federation, Moscow region, Mytishchi

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Supplementary files

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2. Fig. 1. The appearance of adult individuals of Hydropotes inermis and the hair profile. (a) – the image was obtained using a camera trap (April 2019) in the natural park of regional significance “Khasansky” of Rospotrebnadzor (Vladivostok). Photo courtesy of D.V. Pankratov and Yu.A. Darman. (b) – a stuffed animal from the zoological exposition of the G.P. Somov Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of Rospotrebnadzor; call number FE-5913. Scanned image (HP Laser Jet 1320, 300 dpi) of hair: (c) – tail, (d) – backs, (e) – breasts. The nodularity and zonal coloring of the hair is clearly visible. Scale: A, B - 10 cm; b–d – 10 mm.

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3. Fig. 2. Microstructure of the spinous hair of the back of an adult male Hydropotes inermis: (a) (b) – the cross section of the curved hair, respectively, in its middle and above; (c) (d) – the longitudinal section of the middle of the curved hair; (e) – a thin “leg” of the hair with a sharp expansion of the stem and above; (g) (c) – the cuticle, respectively, of the middle of the curved hair and above; (e) (i) (k) – the top of the hair: 1 – the bark, 2 – the core, air cavities and partitions, 3 – tiled wavy cuticle, 4 – ring cuticle. SAM. Scale: a, b - 50 microns; c, d, d, c - 200 microns; D, E, I, K – 20 microns.

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4. Fig. 3. Measurements of the hair of an adult male Hydropotes inermis from different parts of the body. (a) – hair length, mm. (b) – hair thickness, microns.

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5. Fig. 4. Matrix of correlative relationships between the diameter of the awn I and the ratio of the width of the cuticle flake (across the rod) to its height (along the rod) (W/H) in Cervidae: ∎ – data from [17, fig. 2]; • – data on [16] and original data (n = 4 for each case).

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Presented by Academician of the RAS V.V. Rozhnov


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