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The chital was estimated to have genetically diverged from the Rucervus lineage in the Early Pliocene about 5 million years ago. Axis was revealed to be paraphyletic and distant from Hyelaphus in the phylogenetic tree the chital was found to form a clade with the barasingha ( Rucervus duvaucelii) and the Schomburgk's deer ( Rucervus schomburgki). Ī phylogenetic study later that year showed that Hyelaphus is closer to the genus Rusa than Axis. However, a morphological analysis showed significant differences between Axis and Hyelaphus. The genus Hyelaphus was considered a subgenus of Axis.
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Axis was elevated to generic status by Colin P. In 1827, Charles Hamilton Smith placed the chital in its own subgenus Axis under the genus Cervus.
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The chital was first described by Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777 as Cervus axis. Other common names for the chital are Indian spotted deer (or simply the spotted deer) and axis deer. Variations of "chital" include "cheetal" and "cheetul". The name of the cheetah has a similar origin. The vernacular name "chital" (pronounced / tʃ iː t əl/) Ĭomes from cītal ( Hindi: चीतल), derived from the Sanskrit word citrala (चित्रलः), meaning "variegated" or "spotted". The antlers, three-pronged, are nearly 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long. The abdomen, rump, throat, insides of legs, ears, and tail are all white. The upper parts are golden to rufous, completely covered in white spots. It is sexually dimorphic males are larger than females, and antlers are present only on males. A moderate-sized deer, male chital reach nearly 90 cm (35 in) and females 70 cm (28 in) at the shoulder. It was first described by German naturalist Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777. The chital ( Axis axis / tʃ iː t əl/), also known as spotted deer, chital deer, and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent.