NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Common Tsessebe
Damaliscus lunatus (Burchell, 1823)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Serengeti topi (Damaliscus lunatus jimela), Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Damaliscus lunatus is a large African antelope of the genus Damaliscus and subfamily Alcelaphinae in the family Bovidae, with a number of recognised geographic subspecies. Some authorities have split the different populations of the species into different species, although this is seen as controversial. Common names include topi, sassaby (formerly also sassayby), tiang and tsessebe.
Wikipedia contributors, Damaliscus lunatus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:24:36.390865+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Damaliscus lunatus (Burchell, 1823)
- Name authority
- (Burchell, 1823)
- Common name
- Common Tsessebe
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Bovidae
- Genus
- Damaliscus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderArtiodactyla Owen, 1848
- familyBovidae Gray, 1821
- subfamilyAntilopinae Gray, 1821
- tribeAlcelaphini Brooke, 1876
- genusDamaliscus P. L. Sclater & Thomas, 1894
- speciesDamaliscus lunatus (Burchell, 1823)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Damaliscus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| TopiDamaliscus korrigum (Ogilby, 1837) | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ruaha TopiDamaliscus eurus Blaine, 1914 | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Serengeti TopiDamaliscus jimela (Matschie, 1892) | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Uganda TopiDamaliscus ugandae Blaine, 1914 | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| BontebokDamaliscus pygargus (Pallas, 1767) | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bangweulu TsessebeDamaliscus superstes Cotterill, 2003 | BovidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Antilope lunata Burchell, 1823 Burchell, 1823 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=625082 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:342XZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.