I have seen markhor in the United States collections referred to as Turkmenian markhor, Tadjik Markhor, and Bukharan markhor. It is my understanding that this is the same subspecies, Capra falconeri heptneri. Are the markhor found here in the United States of America only of this subspecies? Another thing that I've wondered about is what subspecies are recognized. I looked on Wikipedia's page for markhor and it lists Astor markhor, Capra falconeri falconeri; Kabul markhor, Capra falconeri megaceros; Kashmir markhor, Capra falconeri cashmiriensis; Sulaiman markhor, Turkmenian markhor, Capra falconeri heptneri; and Capra falconeri jerdoni. Is this commonly agreed upon?
Thank you. Is there any chance that the markhor are actually generic from some point in time when zoological institutions did not respect or have knowledge of the subspecies? Obviously, I would hope they aren't, but it seems to be a rather common problem in North America.