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Taxonomy
Canis lepophagus was named by Johnston (1938). Its type specimen is West Texas University Museum 881, a skull (skull, lacking mandible), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Cita Canyon, which is in a Blancan channel sandstone in Texas.
Sister species lacking formal opinion data
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 1938 | Canis lepophagus Johnston p. 383 figs. Pl. 1 - 3 |
| 1980 | Canis lepophagus Kurten and Anderson p. 167 |
| 2008 | Canis lepophagus Wang et al. |
| 2009 | Canis lepophagus Tedford et al. p. 112 figs. 40, 41A–G, 42A–J, 43, 44, 52; appendices 2–4 |
| 2019 | Canis lepophagus Albright et al. p. 172 |
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If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.
†Canis lepophagus Johnston 1938
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Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| C. S. Johnston 1938 |
Diagnosis: Canis lepophagus is more slender in its general proportion than the modern coyote. The sagittal and lamb- doidal crests are more prominently developed. The brain case is not expanded, and the postorbital processes are prominent. The lower jaws are strong in proportion to the size of the skull, and the teeth relatively long antero-posteriorly so that the spaces between them are reduced. Furthermore, the C. lepophagus is somewhat smaller than C. latrans as figured by Elliot ( 1901) in which the length of the skull is 201 mm., while in the Cita Canyon specimen the average length for the three skulls is 190 mm. Breadth across the zygomatic arches in the C. latrans is 111 mm. and in the C. tcpophagus 101 mm. However, the ratio of the width to the length is approximately the same in both instances. | |
| R. H. Tedford et al. 2009 | Derived characters that distinguish C. lepophagus from E. davisi are larger size and more robust skull and jaws; frontal sinus extends more posteriorly; sagittal crest stronger with contribution from frontal; inion narrower and sometimes pointed; m1 talonid with entoconid and hypoconid usually linked by transverse crest; hypoconulid shelf relatively larger but with distinct cusp rarely present; angular process of mandible more robust; and longer forelimb relative to hind- limb (radius/tibia ratio .80% but ,90%).
Canis lepophagus shares the above derived features with C. ferox, but it differs in more consistent m1 hypoconid-entoconid union through cristids, and reduction of M1 para- style. C. lepophagus differs from many larger species of Canis in its primitively small size; small I3 relative to I1–I2; P4 protocone more anteriorly directed; p4 lacks a posterolingual shelf and is higher than paraconid of m1; m3 retains two trigonid cusps; less inflated frontal sinus; relatively wider frontal shield; and relatively wider braincase. Primitive characters that distinguish C. lepophagus from C. latrans are: greater postorbital constriction; zygomatic process dorsoventrally deeper with broad scar for masseter muscle; smaller bulla with less laterally extended tubular auditory meatus; P4 protocone situated more anteriorly; m1 less elongate with trigonid shorter relative to length of talonid and weaker hypoconulid; m2 larger relative to m1, metaconid lower crowned, and anterolabial cingulum stron- ger; less elongate limbs especially forelimb, with radius/tibia ratio exceeding 80% but less than that of C. latrans, where ratio usually exceeds 90%. |