The

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Alcelaphinae (or

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

Alcelaphini), of the family

Bovidae The Bovidae comprise the family (biology), biological family of cloven-hoofed, ruminant mammals that includes Bos, cattle, bison, Bubalina, buffalo, antelopes (including Caprinae, goat-antelopes), Ovis, sheep and Capra (genus), goats. A member o ...

, contains the

wildebeest Wildebeest ( , ,), also called gnu ( or ), are antelopes of the genus ''Connochaetes'' and native to Eastern and Southern Africa. They belong to the family Bovidae, which includes true antelopes, cattle, goats, sheep, and other even-toed ...

tsessebe The common tsessebe or sassaby (''Damaliscus lunatus lunatus'') is the southern, nominate subspecies of ''Damaliscus lunatus'', although some authorities have recognised it as an independent species. It is most closely related to the Bangweulu t ...

topi ''Damaliscus lunatus jimela'' is a subspecies of Damaliscus lunatus, topi, and is usually just called a topi. It is a highly social and fast type of antelope found in the savannas, semi-deserts, and floodplains of sub-Saharan Africa. Names The ...

hartebeest The hartebeest (; ''Alcelaphus buselaphus''), also known as kongoni or kaama, is an Fauna of Africa, African antelope. It is the Monotypic taxon, only member of the genus ''Alcelaphus''. Eight subspecies have been described, including two som ...

blesbok The blesbok or blesbuck (''Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi'') is a subspecies of the bontebok antelope endemic to South Africa, Eswatini and Namibia. It has a distinctive white face and forehead, which inspired the name because ''bles'' is the Afr ...

and

bontebok The bontebok (''Damaliscus pygargus'') is an antelope found in South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia. ''D. pygargus'' has two subspecies; the nominate subspecies (''D. p. pygargus''), occurring naturally in the Fynbos and Renosterveld areas of the W ...

, and several other related

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

. Depending on the classification, there are 6–10 species placed in four genera, although ''Beatragus'' is sometimes considered a subgenus of ''Damaliscus'', while ''Sigmoceros'' is sometimes considered for the

Lichtenstein's hartebeest Lichtenstein's hartebeest (''Alcelaphus buselaphus lichtensteinii'') is a subspecies of the hartebeest antelope that dwells in savannahs and floodplains of Southeastern-Central Africa. It is sometimes classified as a unique species, ''Sigmoceros ...

. Subfamily Alcelaphinae * Genus ''

Beatragus ''Beatragus'' is a genus of alcelaphinae, alcelaphine antelope. The hirola ''(Beatragus hunteri)'' is the only living representative, but a couple of extinct species are known, all from Africa. The hirola and the larger ''Beatragus antiquus'' m ...

'' **

Hirola The hirola (''Beatragus hunteri''), also called the Hunter's hartebeest or Hunter's antelope, is a critically endangered antelope species found as of now, only in Kenya along the border of Somalia. It was first described by the big game hunter an ...

, ''Beatragus hunteri'' * Genus ''

Damaliscus The genus ''Damaliscus'', commonly known as damalisks, is a genus of antelope in the family Bovidae, subfamily Alcelaphinae The subfamily Alcelaphinae (or Tribe (biology), tribe Alcelaphini), of the family Bovidae, contains the wildebeest, ts ...

'' **

Tsessebe The common tsessebe or sassaby (''Damaliscus lunatus lunatus'') is the southern, nominate subspecies of ''Damaliscus lunatus'', although some authorities have recognised it as an independent species. It is most closely related to the Bangweulu t ...

, ''D. lunatus'' ***

Korrigum The korrigum (''Damaliscus lunatus korrigum''), also known as Senegal hartebeest, is a subspecies of the Damaliscus lunatus, topi, a large African antelope. Taxonomy An 1822–1824 British expedition across the Sahara to the ancient kingdom of K ...

, ''D. lunatus korrigum'' ***

Topi ''Damaliscus lunatus jimela'' is a subspecies of Damaliscus lunatus, topi, and is usually just called a topi. It is a highly social and fast type of antelope found in the savannas, semi-deserts, and floodplains of sub-Saharan Africa. Names The ...

, ''D. lunatus jimela'' ***

Coastal topi The coastal topi (''Damaliscus lunatus topi'') is a highly social antelope of the genus ''Damaliscus''. It is a subspecies of the topi ''Damaliscus lunatus jimela'' is a subspecies of Damaliscus lunatus, topi, and is usually just called a t ...

, ''D. lunatus topi'' **

Bontebok The bontebok (''Damaliscus pygargus'') is an antelope found in South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia. ''D. pygargus'' has two subspecies; the nominate subspecies (''D. p. pygargus''), occurring naturally in the Fynbos and Renosterveld areas of the W ...

, ''D. pygargus'' *** Bontebok (subspecies), ''D. p. pygargus'' ***

Blesbok The blesbok or blesbuck (''Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi'') is a subspecies of the bontebok antelope endemic to South Africa, Eswatini and Namibia. It has a distinctive white face and forehead, which inspired the name because ''bles'' is the Afr ...

, ''D. p. phillipsi'' * Genus ''

Alcelaphus The hartebeest (; ''Alcelaphus buselaphus''), also known as kongoni or kaama, is an Fauna of Africa, African antelope. It is the Monotypic taxon, only member of the genus ''Alcelaphus''. Eight subspecies have been described, including two som ...

'' **

Hartebeest The hartebeest (; ''Alcelaphus buselaphus''), also known as kongoni or kaama, is an Fauna of Africa, African antelope. It is the Monotypic taxon, only member of the genus ''Alcelaphus''. Eight subspecies have been described, including two som ...

, ''A. buselaphus'' ***

Bubal hartebeest The bubal hartebeest, also known as northern hartebeest or bubal antelope or simply bubal (''Alcelaphus buselaphus buselaphus'') is the extinct nominal (i.e., first described) subspecies of hartebeest. It was formerly found north of the Saharan ...

, †''A. b. buselaphus'' ***

Coke's hartebeest Coke's hartebeest (''Alcelaphus buselaphus cokii'') or ''Kongoni'' is a large migratory antelope that is native to Kenya and Tanzania. It can breed with Lelwel hartebeest to produce a hybrid known as the Kenya Highland hartebeest (''Alcelaphus ...

, ''A. b. cokii'' ***

Lelwel hartebeest The Lelwel hartebeest (''Alcelaphus buselaphus lelwel''), also known as Jackson's hartebeest, is an antelope native to Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Ugand ...

, ''A. b. lelwel'' ***

Western hartebeest The western hartebeest (''Alcelaphus buselaphus major'') is an antelope native to the medium to tall grassland plains of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger ...

, ''A. b. major'' ***

Swayne's hartebeest Swayne's hartebeest (''Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei'') is an endangered antelope native to Ethiopia. Two of the largest remaining populations are located in Senkelle Swayne's Hartebeest Sanctuary, Nechisar National Park and Maze National Park. It ...

, ''A. b. swaynei'' ***

Tora hartebeest The tora hartebeest, or simply tora (''Alcelaphus buselaphus tora''), is an extremely endangered antelope, native to Eritrea and Ethiopia. It has possibly been extirpated from Sudan. One of the most critically endangered large mammals in the wor ...

, ''A. b. tora'' ***

Red hartebeest The red hartebeest (''Alcelaphus buselaphus caama''), also called the Cape hartebeest or Caama, is a subspecies of the hartebeest found in Southern Africa. More than 130,000 individuals live in the wild. The red hartebeest is closely related to ...

, ''A. b. caama'' ***

, ''A. b. lichtensteinii'' * Genus ''

Connochaetes Wildebeest ( , ,), also called gnu ( or ), are antelopes of the genus ''Connochaetes'' and native to Eastern and Southern Africa. They belong to the family Bovidae, which includes true antelopes, cattle, goats, sheep, and other even-toed ...

'' **

Black wildebeest The black wildebeest or white-tailed gnu (Connochaetes gnou) is one of two wildebeest species—the other being the blue wildebeest—in the family Bovidae. First described in 1780 by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann, ...

(or white-tailed gnu), ''C. gnou'' **

Blue wildebeest The blue wildebeest (''Connochaetes taurinus''), also called the common wildebeest, white-bearded gnu or brindled gnu, is a large antelope and one of the two species of wildebeest. It is placed in the genus ''Connochaetes'' and Family (biology), ...

, ''C. taurinus'' *** Blue wildebeest ''C. t. taurinus'' *** Eastern white-bearded wildebeest ''C. t. albojubatus'' *** Cookson's wildebeest ''C. t. cooksoni'' *** Nyassaland wildebeest ''C. t. johnstoni'' ***

Western white-bearded wildebeest The western white-bearded wildebeest (''Connochaetes taurinus mearnsi'') also known as Mearn's white-bearded wildebeest, Mearn's wildebeest, Serengeti white-bearded wildebeest, or the Serengeti wildebeest, is a subspecies of the blue wildebeest b ...

''C. t. mearnsi''

Extinct alcelaphines

* Subfamily Alcelaphini ** ''Beatragus'' *** †''Beatragus antiquus'' ** ''Connochaetes'' *** †''Connochaetes africanus'' *** †''Connochaetes gentryi'' *** ''Connochaetes gnou'' **** †''Connochaetes gnou laticornutus'' **** †''Connochaetes gnou antiquus'' *** ''Connochaetes taurinus'' **** †''Connochaetes taurinus olduvaiensis'' ** ''Damaliscus'' *** †'' Damaliscus hypsodon'' (Extinct: Late Pleistocene-early Holocene) *** †''Damaliscus niro'' ** †'' Damalacra'' *** †''Damalacra acalla'' ** †''

Damalborea ''Damalborea'' is an extinct genus of alcelaphine bovid. It was first named by Alan W. Gentry in 2010, and the type species is ''Damalborea elisabethae''. It is known from the holotype AL 208–7, a skull with horn cores collected from the Midd ...

'' *** †''Damalborea elisabethae'' ** †''

Damalops ''Damalops'' is an extinct genus of alcelaphine antelope. It lived during the Pliocene and Pleistocene in southern Asia, where the species ''Damalops palaeindicus'' is known from the Siwaliks in the northern part of the India India, o ...

'' *** †''Damalops palaeindicus'' ** †''

Megalotragus ''Megalotragus'' (from Greek ''mega'' (μέλα) 'great' and ''tragos'' (τράγος) 'goat') is a genus of very large African alcelaphines that lived during the Pliocene to early Holocene.Thackeray, John Francis. (2015). Faunal Remains from Ho ...

'' *** †''Megalotragus kattwinkeli'' *** †''Megalotragus priscus'' (Extinct: Late Pleistocene-early Holocene) ** †''

Numidocapra ''Numidocapra'' is an extinct genus of bovid from the Pleistocene of Africa. Taxonomy Originally placed in the subfamily caprinae, ''Numidocapra'' is now generally classified as a member of the subfamily Alcelaphinae. Three species are conside ...

'' *** †''Numidocapra arambourgi'' *** †''Numidocapra crassicornis'' *** †''Numidocapra porrocornutus'' ** †''Oreonagor'' *** †''Oreonagor tournoueri'' ** †''Parabubalis'' *** †''Parabubalis capricornis'' ** †''Parestigorgon'' ** †''

Parmularius ''Parmularius'' is a genus of large extinct African alcelaphines from the Pliocene and Pleistocene. It is a close relative of topi and hartebeest The hartebeest (; ''Alcelaphus buselaphus''), also known as kongoni or kaama, is an Fauna of ...

'' *** †''Parmularius pachyceras'' *** †''Parmularius ambiquus'' *** †''Parmularius pandatus'' *** †''Parmularius atlanticus'' *** †''Parmularius rugosus'' *** †''Parmularius altidens'' *** †''Parmularius angusticornis'' ** †''Rabaticeras'' *** †''Rabaticeras lemutai'' ** †''Rhynotragus'' *** †''Rhynotragus semiticus'' ** †''

Rusingoryx ''Rusingoryx'' is a genus of extinct alcelaphine bovid artiodactyl closely related to the wildebeest. It contains only one species, ''R. atopocranion'', that lived on the plains of Kenya during the Pleistocene. It was originally named as a speci ...

'' *** †''Rusingoryx atopocranion''

References

Bovidae Mammal tribes Extant Miocene first appearances Taxa named by Victor Brooke {{eventoedungulate-stub