Abstract:
Archaeological faunal remains from the humid tropics have long been known to suffer from poor preservation which hinders biomolecular approaches to objective species identification and phylogenetic analysis using DNA. However, a new technique of collagen analysis by soft-ionization mass spectrometry offers a means to access such molecular information from the tropics that are typically regions of greatest worldwide biodiversity. This work explores the application of collagen analyses to remains of a dwarf deer of uncertain ancestry discovered in a ~6000 year old shell-bearing midden on Pedro González Island (Panama). The sub-fossil deer’s tiny size, the extreme cultural modification of >2400 specimens, and the rarity of complete bones and antlers prevented objective identification below Family level. Collagen fingerprinting analyses reveal that both the Pedro González island archaeological deer and an extant small deer on San José Island 8 km away, are closely related but do not have a close affinity with the Central American red brocket deer (Mazama temama Kerr 1792). Using these methods, their closest affinity appears to be with a group of cervids that comprises the North and Central American white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman 1780) and populations of the Amazonian brown brocket deer (M. nemorivaga Cuvier 1817).
