Biogeographic origins and morphological evolution of Neotropical deer

Neotropical deer are sometimes suggested to be most closely related to typical North American deer (Odocoileus). The molecular analysis shows that the clade including the endemic large-bodied South American genera [Marsh Deer (Blastocerus), Pampas Deer (Ozotoceros), and Huemul & Taruca (Hippocamelus spp.)] are a monophyletic clade that diverged from the North & Central American clade [including Odocoileus and Brocket Deer (Mazama)] at the time of the reconnection of the Panamanian Isthmus. Reduced "spike" antlers in Mazama and the Pudu (Puda) are parallel consequences of allometry for reduced size, rather than an indication of close relationship.