Range of Subfamily. South-eastern Europe, Western and Central Asia, Peninsula of India, and the whole of Africa.
The greater part of this subfamily consists of the Gazelles and their allies, the Saiga, Chiru, Springbuck, Gerenuk, and Dibatag; and with these, by common consent, are included the Black-buck, the typical form of the whole group of Antelopes, and the Pallahs. We have also thought that the anomalous little Antelope known as the Beira would best be placed in this subfamily, near the Gazelles, in spite of the superficial resemblance it bears to certain members of the subfamily Neotraginæ.
The present subfamily consists therefore of nine genera, which may be arranged as follows:—
- A. Horns spirally twisted 1. Antilope.
- B. Horns curved or straight, not twisted.
- a. False hoofs absent 2. Æpyceros.
- b. False hoofs present.
- a1. Horns medium or long, curved.
- a2. Muzzle swollen or elongated.
- a3. Horns medium, lyrate, whitish 3. Saiga.
- b3. Horns long, slightly curved, black 4. Pantholops.
- b2. Muzzle slender, normal.
- a3. Neck normal.
- a4. Horns convex forwards for three-fourths their length.
- a5. Back with a central white streak. Lower premolars 2. 5. Antidorcas.
- b5. Back normal. Lower premolars 3 6. Gazella.
- b4. Horns concave forwards, except just at their base. 7. Ammodorcas.
- b3. Neck much elongated. Horns as in Gazella. 8. Lithocranius.
- b1. Horns short, quite straight 9. Dorcotragus.
Genus I. ANTILOPE.
| Type. | |
| Antilope, Pall. Misc. Zool. p. 1 (1766) | A. cervicapra.[1] |
Size medium. Muzzle hairy. A large anteorbital gland present. Tail short, compressed. Mammæ 2. Accessory hoofs present. Glands in all the feet and in the groin.
Skull with deep pits between the orbits, very small or no lachrymal vacuities, and large anteorbital fossæ. Molars tall and narrow.
Horns long, placed close together, widely divergent, cylindrical, spirally twisted, closely ringed throughout. Female normally hornless.
Range of the Genus. Peninsula of India.