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Protohippus supremus

Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Equidae

Taxonomy
Protohippus supremus was named by Leidy (1869). It is a 3D body fossil.

It was synonymized subjectively with Protohippus mirabilis by Cope (1893); it was synonymized subjectively with Pliohippus mirabilis by Matthew (1899) and Trouessart (1905); it was recombined as Merychippus supremus by Hay (1902); it was recombined as Pliohippus supremus by Gidley (1907), Osborn (1918), Matthew (1924), Hay (1930), McGrew (1938), Henshaw (1942), Macdonald (1951), Quinn (1955), Webb (1969), Quinn (1987), Kelly and Lander (1988) and Voorhies (1990); it was recombined as Pliohippus (Pliohippus) supremus by Stirton (1940) and Forsten (1975); it was considered a nomen dubium by Macdonald (1992).

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1869Protohippus supremus Leidy
1896Protohippus supremus Roger
1902Merychippus supremus Hay p. 618
1906Protohippus simus Gidley
1906Protohippus supremus Gidley
1906Protohippus simus Gidley p. 139
1907Pliohippus supremus Gidley
1907Protohippus simus Gidley p. 925
1909Protohippus supremus Matthew
1918Protohippus simus Osborn p. 136 figs. Plates 21.1, 22.2. Text Fig. 109
1918Pliohippus supremus Osborn p. 150 figs. Plates 25.11, 26.2, 31.3,4. Text Figs. 118, 119
1924Pliohippus supremus Matthew
1930Pliohippus supremus Hay
1933Pliohippus simus Stirton
1938Pliohippus supremus McGrew
1938Pliohippus simus McGrew and Meade p. 201
1940Pliohippus (Pliohippus) simus Stirton p. 192
1940Pliohippus (Pliohippus) supremus Stirton p. 192
1942Pliohippus supremus Henshaw
1951Pliohippus simus Macdonald
1951Pliohippus supremus Macdonald
1955Pliohippus supremus Quinn p. 17
1955Hippotigris sellardsi Quinn p. 46 figs. Pl. 9, Figs. 1, 2
1955Hippotigris clarendonensis Quinn p. 49
1955Hippotigris parastylus Quinn p. 50
1969Astrohippus sellardsi Webb
1969Pliohippus supremus Webb
1975Pliohippus (Pliohippus) supremus Forsten p. 53 figs. Tables 19, 36; Fig. 6
1987Pliohippus supremus Quinn
1988Protohippus supremus Hulbert, Jr. p. 286 figs. 22B, 23
1988Pliohippus supremus Kelly and Lander
1990Pliohippus supremus Voorhies
1995Protohippus supremus Kelly p. 14
1996Protohippus supremus Prado and Alberdi p. 676
1998Protohippus supremus Kelly
1998Protohippus supremus MacFadden p. 550
2019Protohippus supremus May

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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()
Mammaliamorpha
Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
RankNameAuthor
Theriamorpha(Rowe 1993)
Theriiformes()
Trechnotheria
Cladotheria
Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
Eutheria()
Placentalia
Boreoeutheria
Laurasiatheria
Scrotifera
Euungulata
Panperissodactyla
superorderPerissodactylamorpha
orderPerissodactyla()
superfamilyEquoidea
familyEquidae
subfamilyEquinae
tribeEquini
genusProtohippus()
speciessupremusLeidy 1869

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.

Protohippus supremus Leidy 1869
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Invalid names: Hippotigris clarendonensis Quinn 1955 [synonym], Hippotigris parastylus Quinn 1955 [synonym], Hippotigris sellardsi Quinn 1955 [synonym], Protohippus simus Gidley 1906 [synonym]
Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
H. F. Osborn 1918 (Protohippus simus) (Gidley, 1907, p. 925) (1) Allied to Protohippus perditus though somewhat larger and differing in the following characters: (2) protocones of a more progressive stage in their fuller development anteriorly, thus forming a deeper infolding of the enamel between them and the protoconules; (3) fossettes narrower transversely than in P. perditus; (4) pre- orbital or facial region relatively shorter and broader than in P. perditus; (5) incisive border but little curved, giving the muzzle a rather truncate appearance; (6) palate broader and less arched than in P. perditus, especially in front of pre- molars; (7) malar fossa wanting, as in P. perditus; (8) lachrymal fossa broader, much more shallow, and less sharply defined than in P. perditus; (9) comparative great vertical depth of skull may be due in part to distortion. (Osborn, 1918) (10) Protocone strongly constricted and separated at the summit from protoconule; (11) evidence of a small pli caballin, of one crochet enamel fold in prefossette, and of two enamel folds in postfossette.
H. F. Osborn 1918 (Leidy, 1869, p. 328, Osborn, 1918) (1) Superior molar teeth bear a resemblance to those of Proto-
hippus perditus; (2) protocone isolated in the unworn crown (Fig. 4); (3) protocone early connected by wear with proto- conule; (4) prominent, simple enamel folds entering pre- and postfossettes from median portion of metaloph; (5) a pli caballin and prominent enamel fold entering prefossette from crochet region; (6) protocone of elongate-oval section, projecting farther inward than hypocone. (Characters based on neotype, Gidley, 1907, p. 890) (7) Size considerably exceeding that of Pliohippus mirahilis. (8) Deciduous premolars of narrower proportions than in P. mirabilis; (9) greater complexity of the enamel foldings in both the milk and permanent series. (10) Malar fossa without dividing ridge, com- paratively smaller and more shallow than in P. mirahilis; (11) basisphenoid proportionately longer than in Protohippus perditus, not overlapped by vomer. (Matthew, 1913, from type and neotype) (12) Deciduous premolars decidedly more hypsodont than in Pliohippus mirabilis; (13) permanent molars with long crowns; protocone united with protoloph except near summit of crown; (15) protocone united with hypocone when teeth are well worn; (16) protocone oval, rather large, anterior in position on premolars; (17) fossette borders with a few enamel folds, disappearing when tooth is about half worn; (18) pli caballin well developed toward the summit of crown.
J. H. Quinn 1955 (Hippotigris clarendonensis)Length of tooth row simi- lar to that of H. sellardsi, transverse diam- eter of teeth less than that of H. sellardsi; ram us considerably deeper; metaconid and entoconid more restricted; antero- external angle of metaflexid deeper; pli caballinid on M. 3; parastylids retained on all teeth.
J. H. Quinn 1955 (Hippotigris parastylus)Larger than H. sellardsi; commissure of lower premolars arises from metaconid, which is directed strongly anteriorly and extremely long; antero-external angle of metaflexid prom- inent; median valley penetrating more deeply between the reenti:ants of flexids han in H. sellardsi; hypoconulid molar elongate.
J. H. Quinn 1955 (Hippotigris sellardsi)Size slightly smaller than H. burchelli; upper teeth slightly curved; styles heavy, valleys deep and concave, weakly ribbed; protocones detached at summit of crown, elongate, triangular; postprotoconal valleys shallow; lower teeth with large elongate metaconid an,d reduced, leaf-shaped metastylid, commissure of premolars connected with both; median valley on molars penetrating not deeply between reentrants of the flexids; parastylid prominent; little or no indication of a pli caballinid
A. -M. Forsten 1975(Leidy, 1869, according to Osborn, 1918): Superior molars
resemble those of Protohippus perditus; protocone isolated in the unworn crown but early connected by wear with protoconule; prominent, simple enamel folds entering pre and postfossettes from metaloph. Pli caballin and prominent enamel fold into prefossette. Protocone elongate-oval, projecting farther inward than hypocone.
R. C. Hulbert 1988Large Protohippus with toothrow lengths of about 130 to 145 mm and unworn molar crown heights of about 54 mm. Larger and more hypsodont than P.perditus, with a broader muzzle, smaller (on average) DP1, more elongate protocone, and more complex fossette plications. Hypoconal groove present until late wear-stages; forms lake on premolars. Protocones isolated from protoselene in early wear-stages of P3-M2, until moderate wear on M3; not as isolated as those of P. gidleyi. Metastylid large, well separated from metaconid by well developed, persistent lingual flexids especially on premolars.