Misplaced Pages

Prohesperocyon Temporal range: Late Eocene, 36.6–36.5 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Canidae
Genus:	†Prohesperocyon Wang, 1994
Species:	†P. wilsoni
Binomial name
†Prohesperocyon wilsoni Gustafson, 1986

Prohesperocyon ("before Hesperocyon") is an extinct genus of canid, endemic to North America appearing during the Late Eocene around 36.6 mya (AEO).

Fossil distribution

Prohesperocyon wilsoni was unearthed at the Airstrip (TMM 40504) site, Presidio County, Texas dating between 36.6 and 36.5 million years ago. This fossil species bears a combination of features that definitively mark it as a Canidae, including teeth that include the loss of the upper third molar (a general trend in canids toward a more shearing bite), and the characteristically enlarged bony bulla (the rounded covering over the middle ear). Based on what we know about its descendants, Prohesperocyon likely had slightly more elongated limbs than its predecessors, along with toes that were parallel and closely touching, rather than splayed, as in bears.

References

1. Wang, Xiaoming (1994). "Phylogenetic systematics of the Hesperocyoninae". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 221: 1–207. hdl:2246/829.
2. Wang, Xiaoming; Tedford, Richard H. (2008). Dogs: Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-231-13529-0.
3. Paleobiology Database Taxa 41236, Prohesperocyon
4. Paleobiology Database Collection 16888, revised on 2002-06-03, John Alroy.
5. Wang, Xiaoming; Richard H. Tedford (2008). "How Dogs Came to Run the World". Natural History Magazine. July/August. Retrieved 2020-01-23.

v t e Extinct Canidae
Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Mammalia Order: Carnivora Suborder: Caniformia
Canidae Canidae †Prohesperocyon †Hesperocyoninae Hesperocyon Mesocyon Cynodesmus Sunkahetanka Philotrox Enhydrocyon Paraenhydrocyon Caedocyon Ectopocynus Osbornodon O. brachypus O. fricki O. iamonensis O. renjiei O. sesnoni O. scitulus O. wangi †Borophaginae Archaeocyon Oxetocyon Otarocyon Rhizocyon Phlaocyonini Cynarctoides Phlaocyon P. achoros P. annectens P. latidens P. leucosteus P. mariae P. marslandensis P. minor P. multicuspus P. taylori P. yatkolai Borophagini Cormocyon Desmocyon Metatomarctus Euoplocyon Psalidocyon Microtomarctus Protomarctus Tephrocyon Cynarctina Paracynarctus Cynarctus Aelurodontina Tomarctus Aelurodon Borophagina Paratomarctus Carpocyon Protepicyon Epicyon Borophagus B. diversidens B. dudleyi B. hilli B. littoralis B. orc B. parvus B. pugnator B. secundus Caninae see below↓
Caninae Caninae †Leptocyon †Metalopex Urocyon †U. citrinus †U. galushai †U. minicephalus †U. progressus †U. webbi Vulpini †Ferrucyon †Prototocyon Nyctereutes (raccoon dogs) †N. abdeslami †N. donnezani †N. lockwoodi †N. megamastoides †N. sinensis †N. tingi †N. vinetorum Vulpes (true foxes) †V. hassani †V. praeglacialis †V. qiuzhudingi †V. riffautae †V. rooki †V. skinneri †V. stenognathus †V. gigas Canini (true dogs) †Canis gezi †Nurocyon Cerdocyonina (zorro) †Protocyon †Theriodictis Speothos †Pleistocene bush dog (S. pacivorus) †Dusicyon Falkland Islands wolf (D. australis) D. avus D. cultridens Lycalopex (South American foxes) †L. cultridens (?) †L. ensenadensis Canina (wolf-like canids) see below↓
Canina (wolf-like canids) Canina †Dire wolf (Aenocyon) †Sardinian dhole (Cynotherium) †Trinil dog (Mececyon) †Merriam's dog (Megacyon) †Xenocyon †Eucyon E. davisi E. debonisi E. ferox E. khoikhoi Lycaon †L. magnus †L. sekowei Dhole (Cuon alpinus) †C. a. antiquus †C. a. caucasicus †European dhole (C. a. europaeus) †Tien Shan dhole (C. a. hesperius) Canis †C. antonii †C. apolloniensis †Armbruster's wolf (C. armbrusteri) †C. arnensis †C. borjgali †C. cedazoensis †C. chihliensis †Edward's wolf (C. edwardii) †Etruscan wolf (C. etruscus) †C. lepophagus †Mosbach wolf (C. mosbachensis) †C. nehringi †C. palmidens †C. variabilis Coyote (C. latrans) †Pleistocene coyote (C. l. orcutti) Red wolf (C. rufus) †Florida black wolf (C. r. floridanus) †Gregory's wolf (C. r. gregoryi) Wolf (C. lupus) †Prehistoric C. l. bohemica C. l. lunellensis C. l. maximus C. l. santenaisiensis Cave wolf (C. l. spelaeus) Beringian wolf †Recently extinct Sicilian wolf (C. l. cristaldii) Hokkaido wolf (C. l. hattai) Japanese wolf (C. l. hodophilax) Austro-Hungarian wolf Synonymized under C. l. arctos: Bernard's wolf (C. l. bernardi) Synonymized under C. l. occidentalis: Kenai Peninsula wolf (C. l. alces) Manitoba wolf (C. l. griseoalbus) Synonymized under C. l. nubilus: Newfoundland wolf (C. l. beothucus) Cascade mountain wolf (C. l. fuscus) Mogollon mountain wolf (C. l. mogollonensis) Texas wolf (C. l. monstrabilis) Southern Rocky Mountain wolf (C. l. youngi)
See also: Evolution of the wolf Category:Extinct canids

This article related to prehistoric animals from order Carnivora is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• Eocene carnivorans
• Transitional fossils
• Monotypic prehistoric carnivoran genera
• Prehistoric mammals of North America
• Taxa named by Xiaoming Wang
• Fossil taxa described in 1986
• Prehistoric carnivoran stubs