PBDB Taxon

Basic info	Taxonomic history	Classification	Included Taxa
Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	External Literature Search	Age range and collections

Merycoides cursor

Mammalia - Merycoidodontidae

Taxonomy

Merycoides cursor was named by Douglass (1907) [genotype]. Its type specimen is CM 1222, a partial skeleton (a skull and mandible nearly complete, the lower portion of a shoulder blade, part of a humerus, the upper end of the radius, the head and distal end of the femu), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Canyon Ferry Reservoir (24LC18), which is in an Arikareean terrestrial horizon in Montana. It is the type species of Merycoides.

It was synonymized subjectively with Merycoides pariogonus by Lander (1998), Tabrum and Nichols (2001).

Synonyms

Merycoides nebraskensis blairi was named by Schultz and Falkenbach (1949). Its type specimen is F:AM 42306, a partial skull, and it is a 3D body fossil.

It was synonymized subjectively with Merycoides cursor by Stevens et al. (2023).
Merycoides nebraskensis was named by Schultz and Falkenbach (1949). Its type specimen is F:AM 33363, a partial skull (Partial skull with I1-M3 and mandible with i1-m3 (p2-p4, br.)), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Signal Butte, which is in a Geringian terrestrial horizon in the Gering Formation of Nebraska.

It was synonymized subjectively with Merycoides relictus by Lander (1998); it was synonymized subjectively with Merycoides cursor by Stevens et al. (2023).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1907	Merycoides cursor Douglass p. 101 figs. Pl. 24
1937	Merycoides cursor Thorpe p. 171 figs. Fig. 124; PI. XXV
1949	Merycoides cursor Schultz and Falkenbach p. 157 figs. 21-24
1949	Merycoides nebraskensis Schultz and Falkenbach p. 158 figs. 7, 21-24
1949	Merycoides nebraskensis blairi Schultz and Falkenbach p. 159 figs. Figures 21 - 23
2023	Merycoides cursor Stevens et al. p. 25 figs. Figure 19; Appendix 1B; Table A4

Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data

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
—	Euungulata
—	Artiodactylamorpha
—	Artiodactyla	()
suborder	Tylopoda	()
family	Merycoidodontidae
subfamily	Eporeodontinae
genus	Merycoides
species	cursor

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.

†Merycoides cursor Douglass 1907

show all | hide all

Invalid names: Merycoides nebraskensis Schultz and Falkenbach 1949 [synonym]

†Merycoides nebraskensis blairi Schultz and Falkenbach 1949

show all | hide all

Diagnosis

Reference	Diagnosis
E. Douglass 1907	Skull rather low, broad and heavy in proportion to its length,; nasals shortened; muzzle inflated; frontal plant' rather broad and flat; braincase laterally inflated; sagittal crest and occipital low, the latter projecting posterior to the occipital condyles; zygomatic arches slender and the posterior angles low; no lachrymal vacuities; paroccipital procrsses three·sided and placed behind the tympanic bullae, which are moderately large; basioccipital forming a considerable angle with the plane o f the palate; foramen rotundum just anterior to foramen lacerum medium. Limbs and hindfeet slender for a Merycoidodont, the proportions being similar to those of Limnenetes but not so slender as in Merychyus.
C. B. Schultz and C. H. Falkenbach 1949	SKULL:Slightly smaller than that of M. nebraskensis; lacrimal fossa deeper and larger than that of M. nebraskensis. MANDIBLE: Smaller than that of M. nebraskensis. DENTITION:Length of dental series less than that of M. nebraskensis. LIMBS:Smaller than those of other species of genus.
C. B. Schultz and C. H. Falkenbach 1949 (Merycoides nebraskensis)	SKULL: Slightly larger than in M. cursor; infraorbital foramen above posterior portion of P3 ; lacrimal fossa smaller than in M. cursor. MANDIBLE: Slightly longer and heavier than in M. cursor. DENTITION: Series somewhat heavier than that in M. cursor. LIMBS:Unknown.
M. S. Stevens et al. 2023	Merycoides specimens with a significantlyshorter and broader skull than M. longiceps.

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: Lillegraven 1979, Nowak 1999, Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009, Lander 1998

Age range: base of the Whitneyan to the top of the Hemingfordian or 31.80000 to 16.30000 Ma

Collections (5 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Whitneyan	31.8 - 29.5	USA (South Dakota)	Merycoides cursor (17307)
Geringian	29.5 - 24.7	USA (Nebraska)	Merycoides nebraskensis (17664)
Arikareean	29.5 - 18.5	USA (Wyoming)	Merycoides nebraskensis (17472)
Arikareean	29.5 - 18.5	USA (Montana)	Merycoides cursor (type locality: 17478)
Hemingfordian	18.5 - 16.3	USA (Wyoming)	Merycoides cursor (18949)