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Merychippus relictus

Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Equidae

Taxonomy
Hippotherium relictum was named by Cope (1889). Its type specimen is AMNH 8673, a set of teeth (An upper molar, ?M1, of the left side, associated with a second upper molar, m3, and two lower molars), and it is a 3D body fossil.

It was recombined as Hipparion relictum by Roger (1896), Trouessart (1898), Matthew (1899) and Hay (1902); it was recombined as Neohipparion relictum by Trouessart (1905) and Matthew (1909); it was recombined as Merychippus (Merychippus) relictus by Stirton (1940); it was considered a nomen dubium by Macdonald (1992); it was recombined as Merychippus relictus by Gidley (1907), Merriam and Sinclair (1907), Osborn (1918), Hay (1930), Downs (1956) and MacFadden (1998).

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1889Hippotherium relictum Cope
1896Hipparion relictum Roger
1898Hipparion relictum Trouessart
1899Hipparion relictum Matthew
1902Hipparion relictum Hay p. 620
1905Neohipparion relictum Trouessart
1907Merychippus relictus Gidley p. 906
1907Merychippus relictus Merriam and Sinclair
1909Neohipparion relictum Matthew
1918Merychippus relictus Osborn p. 100 figs. Plate 13.9, 17.2. Text Fig. 73.
1930Merychippus relictus Hay
1940Merychippus (Merychippus) relictus Stirton p. 181
1956Merychippus relictus Downs
1998Merychippus relictus MacFadden

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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
RankNameAuthor
classMammalia
Theriamorpha(Rowe 1993)
Theriiformes()
Trechnotheria
Cladotheria
Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
Eutheria()
Placentalia
Boreoeutheria
Laurasiatheria
Scrotifera
Euungulata
Panperissodactyla
superorderPerissodactylamorpha
orderPerissodactyla()
superfamilyEquoidea
familyEquidae
subfamilyEquinae
genusMerychippus
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.

Merychippus relictus Cope 1889
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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
H. F. Osborn 1918(Cope, Am. Nat. 1889, p. 254, Osborn, 1918) (1) Grinding surface nearly square; (2) the partly worn crown relatively short, moderately curved; (3) section of internal style (protocone) a wide oval, disconnected with hypocone and hypostyle; (4) hypocone extending as far inward as protocone; (5) median branch of metaconule a posterior spur of protoconule, ptychoid, a pli caballin, abundant cement. (6) About the size of Merychippus seversus and resembling it in many details.