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Merycoides
Taxonomy
Merycoides was named by Douglass (1907). Its type is Merycoides cursor.
It was synonymized subjectively with Mesoreodon by Loomis (1920).
It was assigned to Promerycochoerinae by Schultz and Falkenbach (1949); to Merycoidodontidae by Douglass (1907), Loomis (1924), Thorpe (1937) and Lander (1998); and to Eporeodontinae by Stevens and Stevens (2007) and Stevens et al. (2023).
It was synonymized subjectively with Mesoreodon by Loomis (1920).
It was assigned to Promerycochoerinae by Schultz and Falkenbach (1949); to Merycoidodontidae by Douglass (1907), Loomis (1924), Thorpe (1937) and Lander (1998); and to Eporeodontinae by Stevens and Stevens (2007) and Stevens et al. (2023).
Species
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 1907 | Merycoides Douglass |
| 1924 | Merycoides Loomis |
| 1937 | Merycoides Thorpe p. 171 |
| 1949 | Merycoides Schultz and Falkenbach p. 153 figs. 7, 21-24 |
| 1998 | Merycoides Lander |
| 2007 | Merycoides Stevens and Stevens p. 160 |
| 2023 | Merycoides Stevens et al. p. 24 |
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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. †Merycoides Douglass 1907
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†Merycoides cursor Douglass 1907
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Invalid names: Merycoides nebraskensis Schultz and Falkenbach 1949 [synonym], Merycoides nebraskensis blairi Schultz and Falkenbach 1949 [synonym]
†Merycoides longiceps Douglass 1907
†Merycoides stouti Schultz and Falkenbach 1950
Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| C. B. Schultz and C. H. Falkenbach 1949 | SKULL:Small to medium sized, ranging in basal length from 176 to 247 mm. and in width from 116 to 161mm. (ranging from size of examples of Promesoreodonto large specimens of Mesoreodon); postoccipital wings moderately spread, more so than in examples of Mesoreodonand less so than in Promesoreodon; supraoccipital region protruding pos- teriorly beyond condyles; deep exoccipital pits; sagittal crest short and low; brain case broad and inflated; frontals wide; tendency or anterior retraction of nasals; anterior nasal-maxilla contact above Pl; malar moderately shallow below the orbit; zygomatic arch light and low, with exterior notch below the posterior border of the orbit, posterior border rising for short distance, extending posteriorly to a point above the posterior border of the postglenoid process; infraorbital foramen above posterior portion of P1 and anterior portion of P4; lacrimal fossa small but moderately deep; small depression on side of face above P 2 ; muzzle joined for short distance; paroccipital process moderately wide at base and perpendicular to the longi- tudinal axis of skull, process also incorporated in the somewhat semifan-shaped occipital region, tapering rapidly to a three-sided inferior tip, and adhering to the bulla; bulla small but inflated, suboval in outline; postglenoid process moderately high and rather peg shaped; posterior palate projecting slightly beyond M3.
MANDIBLE: Light and comparatively shallow; postsymphysis below P1 ; ramus increasing slightly in depth posteriorly to a point below the posterior lobe of Ma, then curving decidedly downward; ascending ramus moderately high. DENTITION: More brachyodont than that in Mesoreodon, but comparable to the dentition of Promesoreodon in this respect; C/ and P1 moderately large; premolars not over crowded and set almost straight with alveoli border; external style of M 1 weak, M 1 more prominent, M1 well developed; PLP1 with anterior intermediate crest, and Pa with posterior intermediate crest. LIMBS: Slender but less so than in examples of Merychyus; lighter than in Mesoreodon. | |
| M. S. Stevens et al. 2023 | Small to medium-sized oreodonts (basal length= 176-247 mm, and skull width = 116-161 mm), with slightanterior retraction of the nasals; arched dorsal profile of thenasals and frontals; anterior nasal-maxillary contact above P2;no facial vacuities; malars and zygomatic arch lightly built andshallow compared to Eporeodon; infraorbital foramen above P3or anterior P4; small but deep preorbital (lacrimal) fossa; veryreduced sagittal crest; paroccipital process wide at the baseand perpendicular to the long axis of the skull; bulla small butinflated; slightly fan-shaped occipital crest; high peg-shapedglenoid process; posterior palate projecting beyond M3. |