Bubalus
Genus of bovines
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bubalus is a genus of Asiatic bovines that was proposed by Charles Hamilton Smith in 1827. Bubalus and Syncerus form the subtribe Bubalina, the true buffaloes.
| Bubalus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Bovinae |
| Subtribe: | Bubalina |
| Genus: | Bubalus C. H. Smith, 1827 |
| Type species | |
| Bos bubalis Linnaeus, 1758 | |
| Species | |
|
Bubalus arnee | |
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature and classification of domestic animals as species, subspecies, races or breeds has been discussed controversially for many years and was inconsistent between authors.[1] Assessors of the Food and Agriculture Organization consider domestic water buffalo populations as breeds.[2]
Bubalus species comprise the domestic water buffalo (B. bubalis), the wild water buffalo (B. arnee), the tamaraw (B. mindorensis), the lowland anoa (B. depressicornis), and the mountain anoa (B. quarlesi).[3] The latter two anoa species were proposed to form a subgenus Anoa within Bubalus.[4]
Characteristics
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Smith described Bubalus as low in proportion to the bulk with very solid limbs, a small dewlap and a long, slender tail; the head is large with a strong convex-shaped narrow forehead, large eyes and funnel-shaped ears; horns are lying flat or bending laterally with a certain direction to the rear; the female udder has four mammae.[5] Lydekker added that the line of back is nearly straight with 13 pairs of ribs; the tail is tufted and reaching about to the hocks; the horns are more or less markedly triangular for the greater part of their length and situated low down on the skull; the muzzle is broad, and the hair sparse in adults.[6]
Species
This genus comprises the following living species:[7]
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
 | Domestic water buffalo B. bubalis Linnaeus, 1758 | Domestic in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, China, Italy and Romania; feral populations exist in South America and Australia |
_(cropped).jpg) | Wild water buffalo B. arnee Kerr, 1792 | Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia |
 | Lowland anoa B. depressicornis Smith, 1827 | Sulawesi in Indonesia |
 | Tamaraw B. mindorensis Heude, 1888 | Mindoro in the Philippines |
 | Mountain anoa B. quarlesi Ouwens, 1910 | Sulawesi |
Valid names
The 2013 checklist of the Catalogue of Life lists as "accepted" five species binomina in the genus Bubalus:
- Bubalus bubalis Linnaeus, 1758
- Bubalus depressicornis Smith, 1827
- Bubalus mephistopheles Hopwood, 1925
- Bubalus mindorensis Heude, 1888
- Bubalus quarlesi Ouwens, 1910
Bubalus arnee is not listed here.[8]
The Integrated Taxonomic Information System lists the same five species binomina as valid; it also lists as valid six subspecies of Bubalus bubalis:[9]
- Bubalus bubalis arnee Kerr, 1792
- Bubalus bubalis bubalis Linnaeus, 1758
- Bubalus bubalis fulvus Blanford, 1891
- Bubalus bubalis kerabau Fitzinger, 1860
- Bubalus bubalis migona Deraniyagala, 1952
- Bubalus bubalis theerapati Groves, 1996
Fossil species
The following extinct fossil species have been described:
- Bubalus brevicornis - Young, 1936
- Bubalus cebuensis (Cebu tamaraw) - Croft, Heaney, Flynn and Bautista, 2006[10]
- Bubalus fudi - Guo, 2008 - (possibly a subspecies of Bubalus wansijocki)
- Bubalus grovesi - Rozzi, 2017[11]
- Bubalus mephistopheles (Short-horned water buffalo) - Hopwood, 1925[12]
- Bubalus murrensis (European water buffalo) - Berckhemer, 1927[13]
- Bubalus palaeokerabau (Long-horned Javan water buffalo) - E. Dubois, 1908[14]
- Bubalus platyceros - Lydekker, 1877
- Bubalus teilhardi - Young, 1932
- Bubalus wansijocki - Chardin, 1928
- Bubalus youngi - Chow and Hsu, 1957
