PBDB Taxon

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Canis lupus (gray wolf)

Mammalia - Carnivora - Canidae

Taxonomy

Canis lupus was named by Linnaeus (1758). It is extant.

Subspecies

C. lunellensis, Canis occidentalis furlongi

Sister species lacking formal opinion data

C. kronstadtensis, C. multicuspus, C. ocropus, C. orientalis

Synonyms

Canis niger was named by Sclater (1874) [non Lupus niger Bartram 1791, Canis niger Kerr 1792, or Canis niger Hermann 1804]. It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Mech (1974).
Canis furlongi was named by Hay (1927) [named as a subspecies of C. occidentalis by J Merriam 1912; raised to species level].

It was synonymized subjectively with Canis occidentalis by Schultz (1938); it was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Martin (1974).
Canis lycaon was named by Schreber (1775).

It was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Goldman (1937), Mech (1974) and Hall (1981).
Canis milleri was named by Merriam (1912). Its type specimen is UCMP 11257, a mandible, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Rancho La Brea (UCMP collection), which is in a Rancholabrean tar tar in California.

It was recombined as Aenocyon milleri by Merriam (1918); it was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Martin (1974), Miller (1976), Nowak (1979) and Kurten and Anderson (1980).
Canis nubilus was named by Say (1823). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Richardson (1829), Mech (1974) and Hall (1981).
Canis occidentalis was named by Richardson (1829).

It was recombined as Lupus occidentalis by Bourguignat (1875); it was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Mech (1974), Martin (1974) and Miller (1976).
Canis pambasileus was named by Elliot (1905).

It was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Goldman (1937), Mech (1974) and Hall (1981).
Canis petrolei was named by Stock (1938).

It was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Nowak (1979).
Canis tundrarum was named by Miller (1912).

It was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Pocock (1935), Mech (1974) and Hall (1981).
Canis variabilis was named by Wied-Neuwied (1841).

It was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Mech (1974), Hall (1981) and Wang et al. (2008).
Canis pallipes was named by Sykes (1831). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Mech (1974).
Canis hodophilax was named by Temminck (1839). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Mech (1974).
Lupus orientalis was named by Wagner (1841). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Mech (1974).
Lupus laniger was named by Hodgson (1847). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Mech (1974).
Canis chanco was named by Gray (1863). It is extant.

It was recombined as Lupus chanco by Bourguignat (1875); it was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Mech (1974).
Lupus filchneri was named by Matschie (1908). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Mech (1974).
Lupus karanorensis was named by Matschie (1908). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Mech (1974).
Lupus tschiliensis was named by Matschie (1908). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Mech (1974).
Lupus altaicus was named by Noak (1911). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Mech (1974).
Lupus gigas was named by Townsend (1850).

It was synonymized subjectively with Canis lupus by Hall (1981).
Canis lupus lunellensis was named by Bonifay (1971).

It was considered an invalid subgroup of Canis lupus by Tedford et al. (2009).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1758	Canis lupus Linnaeus p. 39
1775	Canis lycaon Schreber
1823	Canis nubilus Say
1829	Canis occidentalis Richardson
1831	Canis pallipes Sykes
1839	Canis hodophilax Temminck
1841	Lupus orientalis Wagner
1841	Canis variabilis Wied-Neuwied
1847	Lupus laniger Hodgson
1850	Lupus gigas Townsend
1863	Canis chanco Gray
1873	Canis occidentalis Leidy p. 230
1874	Canis niger Sclater p. 654
1875	Lupus chanco Bourguignat
1875	Lupus occidentalis Bourguignat
1902	Canis occidentalis Hay p. 776
1905	Canis pambasileus Elliot
1908	Lupus filchneri Matschie
1908	Lupus karanorensis Matschie
1908	Lupus tschiliensis Matschie
1911	Lupus altaicus Noak
1911	Canis lupus Thomas p. 134
1912	Canis milleri Merriam
1912	Canis occidentalis Merriam
1912	Canis milleri Merriam p. 247 figs. Figures 27-31
1912	Canis tundrarum Miller
1918	Aenocyon milleri Merriam
1927	Canis lupus Boule and De Villeneuve p. 50 figs. Pl 7
1927	Canis furlongi Hay
1931	Canis occidentalis Elftman p. 7
1935	Canis nubilus Schultz and Howard p. 284
1938	Canis petrolei Stock
1967	Canis lupus Wilson p. 211
1968	Canis lupus Kurten p. 109
1971	Canis lupus lunellensis Bonifay
1974	Canis lupus Mech
1978	Canis lupus van Gelder
1980	Canis lupus Kurten and Anderson p. 169
1999	Canis lupus Goodman and Pidgeon p. 261
2008	Canis lupus Wang et al.
2009	Canis lupus Tedford et al. p. 148
2018	Canis lupus Jiangzuo et al. p. 95
2022	Canis lupus Koufos

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
—	Osteichthyes	()
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
subclass	Synapsida
—	Therapsida	()
infraorder	Cynodontia	()

Rank	Name	Author
—	Mammaliamorpha
—	Mammaliaformes
class	Mammalia
—	Cladotheria
—	Zatheria
subclass	Tribosphenida	()
subclass	Theria
—	Eutheria	()
—	Placentalia
—	Boreoeutheria
—	Laurasiatheria
—	Scrotifera
—	Ferae	()
—	Carnivoramorpha	Wyss and Flynn 1993
—	Carnivoraformes	Flynn et al.
order	Carnivora
family	Canidae
subfamily	Caninae	Gill 1872
genus	Canis
species	lupus

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 lupus Linnaeus 1758 [gray wolf]

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†Canis occidentalis furlongi Merriam 1910

Invalid names: Canis chanco Gray 1863 [synonym], Canis furlongi Hay 1927 [synonym], Canis hodophilax Temminck 1839 [synonym], Canis lupus lunellensis Bonifay 1971 [invalid subgroup], Canis lycaon Schreber 1775 [synonym], Canis milleri Merriam 1912 [synonym], Canis niger Sclater 1874 [synonym], Canis nubilus Say 1823 [synonym], Canis occidentalis Richardson 1829 [synonym], Canis pallipes Sykes 1831 [synonym], Canis pambasileus Elliot 1905 [synonym], Canis petrolei Stock 1938 [synonym], Canis tundrarum Miller 1912 [synonym], Canis variabilis Wied-Neuwied 1841 [synonym], Lupus altaicus Noak 1911 [synonym], Lupus filchneri Matschie 1908 [synonym], Lupus gigas Townsend 1850 [synonym], Lupus karanorensis Matschie 1908 [synonym], Lupus laniger Hodgson 1847 [synonym], Lupus orientalis Wagner 1841 [synonym], Lupus tschiliensis Matschie 1908 [synonym]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available