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Vulpes (fox)
Taxonomy
Vulpes was named by Frisch (1775). It is extant. Its type is Canis vulpes.
It was reranked as Canis (Vulpes) by van Gelder (1978).
It was assigned to Canis by van Gelder (1978); to Vulpini by de Bonis et al. (2007), Wang et al. (2008), Tedford et al. (2009), Hartstone-Rose et al. (2013), Bartolini Lucenti (2021); and to Canidae by Frisch (1775), Bourguignat (1875), Schultz and Howard (1935), Wilson (1967), Kurten (1968), Kurten and Anderson (1980), Hall (1981), Carroll (1988), Wozencraft (1989), Wilson and Reeder (1993), Geraads (1997), Werdelin and Peigne (2010), Geraads (2011), Geraads et al. (2015), Koufos (2022).
It was reranked as Canis (Vulpes) by van Gelder (1978).
It was assigned to Canis by van Gelder (1978); to Vulpini by de Bonis et al. (2007), Wang et al. (2008), Tedford et al. (2009), Hartstone-Rose et al. (2013), Bartolini Lucenti (2021); and to Canidae by Frisch (1775), Bourguignat (1875), Schultz and Howard (1935), Wilson (1967), Kurten (1968), Kurten and Anderson (1980), Hall (1981), Carroll (1988), Wozencraft (1989), Wilson and Reeder (1993), Geraads (1997), Werdelin and Peigne (2010), Geraads (2011), Geraads et al. (2015), Koufos (2022).
Species
Alopex praeglacialis, Fennecus caama, Fennecus pallidus, Fennecus zaarensis, Fennecus zerda, V. alopecoides, V. angustidens, V. beihaiensis, V. bengalensis, V. cana, V. chama, V. chikushanensis, V. corsac, V. ferrilata, V. flavescens, V. galaticus, V. griffithi, V. hassani, V. japonica, V. karagan, V. kernensis, V. lagopus, V. macrotis, V. mathisoni, V. montana, V. niloticus, V. odessana, V. pallida, V. pensylvanicus, V. praecorsac, V. praeglacialis (syn. V. marinosi), V. pusilla, V. riffautae, V. rooki, V. rueppellii, V. sinensis, V. skinneri, V. stenognathus, V. velox, V. vulgaris, V. vulpes (syn. V. vulpes cascadensis, V. fulva, Canis alopex, Canis vulpes montana, V. palmaria), V. zerda
Species lacking formal opinion data
Synonyms
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Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 1775 | Vulpes Frisch |
| 1804 | Fennecus Desmarest p. 18 |
| 1821 | Vulpis Gray |
| 1825 | Fennecus Gray p. 339 |
| 1829 | Alopex Kaup |
| 1839 | Cynalopex Smith |
| 1839 | Megalotis Smith |
| 1868 | Leucocyon Woldrich |
| 1875 | Fennecus Bourguignat |
| 1875 | Leucocyon Bourguignat |
| 1875 | Megalotis Bourguignat |
| 1875 | Vulpes Bourguignat |
| 1899 | Mamvulpesus Herrera |
| 1935 | Vulpes Schultz and Howard p. 284 |
| 1954 | Xenalopex Kretzoi |
| 1967 | Vulpes Wilson p. 211 |
| 1968 | Vulpes Kurten p. 114 |
| 1968 | Alopex Kurten p. 116 |
| 1978 | Canis (Alopex) van Gelder |
| 1978 | Canis (Vulpes) van Gelder |
| 1980 | Vulpes Kurten and Anderson p. 173 |
| 1980 | Alopex Kurten and Anderson p. 174 |
| 1981 | Vulpes Hall |
| 1988 | Alopex Carroll |
| 1988 | Fennecus Carroll |
| 1988 | Vulpes Carroll |
| 1989 | Vulpes Wozencraft |
| 1993 | Vulpes Wilson and Reeder |
| 1997 | Vulpes Geraads p. 151 |
| 2007 | Vulpes de Bonis et al. |
| 2008 | Vulpes Wang et al. |
| 2009 | Vulpes Tedford et al. p. 47 |
| 2010 | Vulpes Werdelin and Peigne p. 618 |
| 2011 | Vulpes Geraads |
| 2013 | Vulpes Hartstone-Rose et al. |
| 2015 | Vulpes Geraads et al. |
| 2021 | Vulpes Bartolini Lucenti |
| 2022 | Vulpes Koufos |
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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.
G. Vulpes Frisch 1775 [fox]
show all | hide all
†Vulpes alopecoides Forsyth Major 1877
†Vulpes angustidens Thenius 1954
†Vulpes beihaiensis Qiu and Tedford 1990
Vulpes bengalensis Shaw 1800 [Bengal fox]
Vulpes cana Blanford 1877 [Blanfords fox]
Vulpes chama Smith 1833 [Cape fox]
†Vulpes chikushanensis Young 1930
Vulpes corsac Linnaeus 1768 [Corsac fox]
Vulpes ferrilata Hodgson 1842 [Tibetan fox]
Vulpes flavescens Gray 1843
†Vulpes galaticus Ginsburg 1998
Vulpes griffithi Blyth 1854
†Vulpes hassani Geraads 2011
Vulpes japonica Ognev 1823
Vulpes karagan Erxleben 1777
†Vulpes kernensis Tedford et al. 2009
Vulpes lagopus Linnaeus 1758 [Arctic fox]
Vulpes macrotis Merriam 1888 [kit fox]
†Vulpes mathisoni Geraads et al. 2015
Vulpes montana Pearson 1836
Vulpes niloticus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1803
†Vulpes odessana Odintzov 1967
Vulpes pallida Cretzschmar 1826 [pale fox]
Vulpes pensylvanicus Boddaert 1784
†Vulpes praecorsac Kormos 1932
Vulpes pusilla Blyth 1854
†Vulpes riffautae de Bonis et al. 2007
†Vulpes rooki Bartolini Lucenti 2021
Vulpes rueppellii Schinz 1825 [Ruuppells fox]
†Vulpes sinensis Schlosser 1903
†Vulpes skinneri Hartstone-Rose et al. 2013
†Vulpes stenognathus Savage 1941
Vulpes velox Say 1823 [swift fox]
Vulpes vulgaris Oken 1816
Vulpes vulpes Linnaeus 1758 [red fox]
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Vulpes vulpes macroura Baird 1852
Invalid names: Canis alopex Linnaeus 1758 [synonym], Canis vulpes montana Pearson 1835 [synonym], Vulpes fulva Desmarest 1829 [synonym], Vulpes palmaria Hay 1917 [synonym], Vulpes vulpes cascadensis Merriam 1900 [replaced]
Vulpes zerda Zimmermann 1780 [fennec fox]
Invalid names: Alopex Kaup 1829 [synonym], Cynalopex Smith 1839 [synonym], Fennecus Desmarest 1804 [synonym], Leucocyon Woldrich 1868 [synonym], Mamvulpesus Herrera 1899 [synonym], Megalotis Smith 1839 [synonym], Vulpis Gray 1821 [synonym], Xenalopex Kretzoi 1954 [synonym]
Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| R. H. Tedford et al. 2009 | Vulpes differs from Leptocyon in the following features that constitute synapomorphies with all higher Caninae: medial cusplet on I3 absent; zygo- ma strongly arched in lateral view; metatarsal I reduced to proximal rudiment; humerus lacks entepicondylar foramen. Vulpes shares three synapomorphies with other Vulpini: broad paroccipital process; M1 parastyle very weak and separated from preparacrista; and symplesiomorphic presence of M2 meta- conule and associated postprotocrista. Short nasals that rarely extend to level of most posterior position of maxillary-frontal suture is autapomorphic (this feature appears as a homoplasy in a number of Canis species). |
Measurements
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| Source: g = genus, subc = subclass, c = class, subp = subphylum | |||||
| References: Ji et al. 2002, Lillegraven 1979, Van Valkenburgh 1988, Hendy et al. 2009, Carroll 1988 | |||||
Age range
Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Tortonian to the top of the Holocene or 11.63000 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 9.4 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 9.4 Ma
Collections (325 total)
Oldest occurrences | |||
| Time interval | Ma | Country or state | Original ID and collection number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarendonian | USA (California) | Vulpes kernensis (19393) | |
| Clarendonian - Hemphillian | USA (Nebraska) | Vulpes stenognathus (18305) | |
| Tortonian | USA (Florida) | Vulpes stenognathus (18509) | |
| Hemphillian | USA (California) | Vulpes sp. (19419) | |
| Hemphillian | USA (Texas) | Vulpes stenognathus (18097 18175 18198) | |
| Hemphillian | USA (Colorado) | Vulpes stenognathus (18495) | |
| Hemphillian | USA (Oregon) | Vulpes stenognathus (18935 18936 19015) | |
| Hemphillian | USA (Nevada) | Vulpes stenognathus (18900) | |
| Hemphillian | USA (Nebraska) | Vulpes stenognathus (18033 18086 18225) | |
| Hemphillian | USA (Kansas) | Vulpes sp. (18263) | |
| Hemphillian | USA (Oklahoma) | Leptocyon sp. (18304) | |
| Late/Upper Hemphillian | Mexico (Chihuahua) | Vulpes sp. (18755) | |
| Late/Upper Hemphillian | USA (Arizona) | Vulpes stenognathus (19514 19612) | |
| Late/Upper Hemphillian | USA (New Mexico) | Vulpes stenognathus (19338 19473) | |
| Late/Upper Hemphillian | USA (Nebraska) | Vulpes sp. (18359) Vulpes stenognathus (35430) | |
| early Early Hemphillian | USA (Texas) | Leptocyon vafer (19538) | |
| early Early Hemphillian - late Early Hemphillian | USA (Idaho) | Vulpes sp. (218109) | |
| Late/Upper Hemphillian - Blancan | USA (Indiana) | Vulpes sp. (18320) | |
| Messinian | Chad | Vulpes riffautae (125347) | |
| Messinian - Piacenzian | South Africa (Cape) | Vulpes sp. (59167) | |