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Merychyus relictus

Mammalia - Merycoidodontidae

Taxonomy
Merychyus (Metoreodon) relictus was named by Matthew and Cook (1909). Its type specimen is AMNH 14056, a mandible (Partial right ramus with i1-/c alv. and p1-m3), and it is a 3D body fossil.

It was recombined as Metoreodon relictus by Cook (1912), Thorpe (1937); it was recombined as Merychyus relictus by Schultz and Falkenbach (1941), Skinner et al. (1977), Kelly and Lander (1988), Stevens and Stevens (2007), Morgan et al. (2009), Stevens et al. (2023).

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1909Merychyus (Metoreodon) relictus Matthew and Cook p. 392 fig. 14
1912Metoreodon relictus Cook p. 45
1918Merychyus (Metoreodon) relictus Matthew
1924Merychyus (Metoreodon) relictus Loomis
1930Merychyus (Metoreodon) relictus Hay
1937Metoreodon relictus Thorpe p. 212 figs. Figs. 5, 1 54
1941Merychyus relictus Schultz and Falkenbach
1947Merychyus (Metoreodon) relictus Schultz and Falkenbach p. 234 figs. 1, 8, 10, 14-17
1947Merychyus (Metoreodon) relictus taylori Schultz and Falkenbach p. 241 figs. Figs. 1, 8
1947Merychyus (Metoreodon) relictus fletcheri Schultz and Falkenbach p. 244 figs. Figure 11
1977Merychyus relictus Skinner et al.
1988Merychyus relictus Kelly and Lander
1990Merychyus relictus taylori Dingus p. 12
2007Merychyus relictus Stevens and Stevens p. 164
2009Merychyus relictus Morgan et al. p. 95
2023Merychyus relictus Stevens et al. pp. 46 - 47 figs. Figure 33; Appendix 2G; Table A15

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
subclassSynapsida
—Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
RankNameAuthor
—Mammaliamorpha
—Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
—Cladotheria
—Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
—Eutheria()
—Placentalia
—Boreoeutheria
—Laurasiatheria
—Scrotifera
—Euungulata
—Artiodactylamorpha
—Artiodactyla()
suborderTylopoda()
familyMerycoidodontidae
subfamilyMerychyinae
genusMerychyus
speciesrelictus()

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.

†Merychyus relictus Matthew and Cook 1909
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Invalid names: Merychyus (Metoreodon) relictus taylori Schultz and Falkenbach 1947 [invalid subgroup]
†Merychyus (Metoreodon) relictus fletcheri Schultz and Falkenbach 1947
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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
C. B. Schultz and C. H. Falkenbach 1947SKULL: Approximate size of M. elegans; nasals broad; malar deep below orbits; bulla large and semi-depressed; postglenoid process moderate size, but light and crowded by bulla.
MANDIBLE: Approximate size of M. elegans.
DENTITION: Superior and inferior series equal in length to those of M. elegans; premolars complicated (see subgeneric characters, p. 232).
LIMBS: Light and long, approximating those of M. elegans.
M. S. Stevens et al. 2023Similar in size to M. elegans (M1-3 length =41-46 mm), with a smaller p1, and more molarized p2 and p3.There is also a vertical groove on the labial side of p3, as already occurs in p4. Merychyus relictus has relatively small auditory bullae, which are more depressed than in more primitive species, and a more fan-shaped occipital crest.
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: terrestrialo
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: ground dwellingf
Diet: herbivoref
Reproduction: viviparoussubc
Created: 2005-08-31 14:37:21
Modified: 2005-08-31 16:37:21
Source: f = family, o = order, subc = subclass, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009, Nowak 1999, Lillegraven 1979, Lander 1998

Age range: base of the Early/Lower Barstovian to the top of the Hemingfordian or 16.30000 to 15.97000 Ma

Collections (21 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Hemingfordian20.43 - 15.97USA (Nebraska) Merychyus relictus (17902 17917 17920 17952 17961 17979 17987 18000 18001)
Early/Lower Barstovian16.3 - 12.5USA (Nebraska) Merychyus relictus (17903 17905 17911 17919 17955 17972 17976 17992 18004 18011 18019 18020)