Why is the monotypic nature of the genus *Hydropotes* significant in classification?
Answer
It contains only one extant species
The genus *Hydropotes* is considered monotypic because it exclusively contains the single extant species, *Hydropotes inermis* (the Chinese water deer). This situation is significant because many other deer genera, such as *Cervus*, contain several closely related, successful species. A monotypic genus often suggests that the evolutionary line diverged very early in the family's history and evolved in isolation, or that it represents the sole surviving branch of a lineage that experienced significant extinction elsewhere, underscoring its singular evolutionary standing.
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