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Taxonomy
Canis dirus was named by Leidy (1858). Its type specimen is ANSP 11614, a maxilla, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Ohio River at Evansville, which is in a Pleistocene terrestrial horizon in Indiana.
It was recombined as Canis (Aenocyon) dirus by Stock et al. (1946); it was recombined as Aenocyon dirus by Merriam (1918), Hibbard (1949), Hibbard and Taylor (1960), Ruiz-Ramoni et al. (2022), Prevosti (2023).
It was recombined as Canis (Aenocyon) dirus by Stock et al. (1946); it was recombined as Aenocyon dirus by Merriam (1918), Hibbard (1949), Hibbard and Taylor (1960), Ruiz-Ramoni et al. (2022), Prevosti (2023).
Synonyms
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Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 1833 | Canis primaevus Hodgson |
| 1836 | Canis himalaicus Ogilby |
| 1854 | Canis primaevus Leidy |
| 1855 | Cuon buansu Gervais |
| 1858 | Canis dirus Leidy p. 21 |
| 1863 | Cuon grayformis Hodgson |
| 1869 | Canis indianensis Leidy |
| 1873 | Canis indianensis Leidy p. 230 |
| 1875 | Cuon primaevus Bourguignat |
| 1876 | Canis mississippiensis Allen p. 49 |
| 1902 | Canis dirus Hay p. 775 |
| 1902 | Canis indianensis Hay p. 775 |
| 1903 | Canis indianensis Merriam p. 288 figs. Pl. 30, Fig. 2 |
| 1916 | Canis ayersi Sellards p. 121 |
| 1918 | Aenocyon ayersi Merriam |
| 1918 | Aenocyon dirus Merriam |
| 1929 | Canis ayersi Simpson |
| 1931 | Canis dirus Elftman p. 5 |
| 1940 | Canis dirus Olson p. 42 |
| 1940 | Canis ayersi Olson p. 44 |
| 1946 | Canis (Aenocyon) dirus Stock et al. p. 109 |
| 1949 | Aenocyon dirus Hibbard |
| 1960 | Aenocyon dirus Hibbard and Taylor |
| 1966 | Canis dirus Slaughter p. 481 |
| 1972 | Canis dirus Kurten and Anderson |
| 1972 | Canis dirus Lundelius, Jr. |
| 1974 | Canis dirus Martin |
| 1979 | Canis dirus Nowak |
| 1980 | Canis dirus Kurten and Anderson p. 171 |
| 1984 | Canis dirus Kurten |
| 1988 | Canis dirus Berta |
| 2008 | Canis dirus Wang et al. |
| 2009 | Canis dirus Tedford et al. p. 144 figs. 40, 43, 44, 56A–F; appendices 2, 3 |
| 2019 | Canis dirus Albright et al. p. 173 |
| 2021 | Canis dirus Lu et al. |
| 2022 | Aenocyon dirus Ruiz-Ramoni et al. p. 103 |
| 2023 | Aenocyon dirus Prevosti |
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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.
†Aenocyon dirus Leidy 1858 [dire wolf]
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Invalid names: Canis ayersi Sellards 1916 [synonym], Canis indianensis Leidy 1869 [synonym], Canis mississippiensis Allen 1876 [synonym], Canis nehringi Ameghino 1902 [synonym], Canis primaevus Hodgson 1833 [synonym]
Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| R. H. Tedford et al. 2009 | Canis dirus is distinguished by a number of autapomorphies related to hypercarnivory: loss of m2 anterolabial cingulum; wide palate; greatly reduced m1–m2 metaconids and entoconids; greatly reduced M1–M2 hypocones; very weak or discontinuous anterolingual cingu- lum across M1 protocone. It shares with C. armbrusteri two synapomorphies: short and little recurved canine, and a reduced P4 protocone. With C. lupus it shares four additional synapomorphies: paroccipital pro- cess strongly expanded posteriorly; frontal sinus reaching the frontoparietal suture; long incisive foramina that extend to or behind canine alveoli; M1 parastyle very weak, preparacrista directed anteriorly, not to parastyle. |