| Fossil range | Miocene |
|---|---|
| Taxon | Merycodus |
| Authority | Leidy, 1854 |
| Subdivision ranks | Species |
| Subdivision |
|
| Synonyms | Meryceros Submeryceros |
Merycodus is an extinct genus of the artiodactyl family Antilocapridae.[1] Fossils of this genus have been found in the Santa Fe Group of New Mexico.[2]
Taxonomy
Merycodus has had a confusing taxonomic history. In older literature, Merycodus was placed in Cervidae, though an Antilocaprid affinity is more believed.[3] The closely related Meryceros and Submeryceros are generally regarded as synonymous with Merycodus.[4][5] One described species known as Merycodus grandis has now been reclassified as a species of Prosynthetoceras.[6] Another former species, M. furcatus is now placed in Cosoryx.
Description
Merycodus had relatively short horn shafts with tines of nearly equal size that were about as long as the shaft. Species traditionally included in Meryceros had horns that were generally larger and more laterally compressed.[4] The horns typically have 3 tines. Merycodus had hypsodont teeth. There is no indication of lateral digits in any of the feet of Merycodus. [3]
References
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
- ^ Galusha, Ted & Blick, John C. (1971). "Stratigraphy of the Santa Fe Group, New Mexico". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 144 (1). Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ Scott, William Berryman & Scott, William Berryman (1913). A history of land mammals in the Western Hemisphere; illustrated with 32 plates and more than 100 drawings. New York: Macmillan.
- ^ Janis, Kathleen M. (1998). Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America: Volume 1, Terrestrial Carnivores, Ungulates, and Ungulate Like Mammals. Cambridge University Press. p. 496.
- ^ Prothero, Donald R. (2007). The Evolution of Artiodactyls. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 232. ISBN 9780801887352.
- ^ The Texas Journal of Science: Volume 19. Texas Academy of Science. 1967.