The silver dik-dik (Madoqua piacentinii) is a small antelope found in low, dense thickets along the southeastern coast of Somalia and in Acacia-Commiphora bushland in the Shebelle Valley in southeastern Ethiopia.[1] It is the smallest species of dik-dik, with a length of 45–50 cm (18–20 in), a height of 30–33 cm (12–13 in), and a weight of 2–3 kg (4.4–6.6 lb).[3] Its back and flanks are grizzled silvery, while the limbs, ears, and muzzle are ochraceus in colour.[3] Little is known about its status, but numbers are believed to be decreasing.[1]
| Silver dik-dik | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Antilopinae |
| Genus: | Madoqua |
| Species: | M. piacentinii |
| Binomial name | |
| Madoqua piacentinii Drake-Brockman, 1911[2] | |
Together with the closely related Salt's dik-dik, this species forms the subgenus Madoqua in the genus Madoqua (other dik-diks are also in the genus Madoqua, but the subgenus Rhynchotragus).[4][5] The taxonomy of this subgenus is complex and a matter of dispute. Though most recent authorities treat the silver dik-dik as a monotypic species,[1][6] the silver dik-dik has been suggested as a subspecies of Swayne's dik-dik[4] (itself now usually treated as a subspecies of Salt's dik-dik).[5]
References
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