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Ustatochoerus californicus

Mammalia - Merycoidodontidae

Taxonomy
Merycochoerus (Pronomotherium) californicus was named by Merriam (1919). Its type specimen is UC 21351, a partial skull (Fragmentary skull with P3-P4 alv. and M1-M3 (M2-M3 br.)), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Ricardo Ampitheater, which is in a Clarendonian terrestrial horizon in the Dove Spring Formation of California.

It was recombined as Metoreodon californicus by Matthew (1924) and Thorpe (1937); it was synonymized subjectively with Merychyus major by Lander (1998); it was recombined as Ustatochoerus californicus by Schultz and Falkenbach (1941), Stevens and Stevens (1989), Stevens and Stevens (2007) and Stevens et al. (2023).

Subspecies

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1919Merycochoerus (Pronomotherium) californicus Merriam
1924Metoreodon californicus Matthew
1937Metoreodon californicus Thorpe p. 203 figs. Figs. 146-147
1941Ustatochoerus californicus Schultz and Falkenbach p. 14
1941Ustatochoerus californicus raki Schultz and Falkenbach p. 15
1989Ustatochoerus californicus Stevens and Stevens
2007Ustatochoerus californicus Stevens and Stevens p. 166
2023Ustatochoerus californicus Stevens et al. p. 127 figs. Figures 103-105; Appendix 12C; Table A41

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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
RankNameAuthor
Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
Theriamorpha(Rowe 1993)
Theriiformes()
Trechnotheria
Cladotheria
Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
Eutheria()
Placentalia
Boreoeutheria
Laurasiatheria
Scrotifera
Euungulata
Artiodactylamorpha
Artiodactyla()
familyMerycoidodontidae
subfamilyUstatochoerinae
genusUstatochoerus
speciescalifornicus()

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.

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Ustatochoerus californicus raki Schultz and Falkenbach 1941
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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
C. B. Schultz and C. H. Falkenbach 1941SKULL.-Larger than that of U. major; malar very deep below the orbit. MANDIBLE.-Known only from symphysis; larger than that of U. major. DENTITION.-Dental series longer and more robust than in U. major. LIMBs.-Unknown.
M. S. Stevens et al. 2023Largest species of Ustatochoerus (P2-M3 length = 135-145 mm; M1-3 length = 87-104 mm; p2-m3 length = 147- 165 mm; m1-3 length = 102-110 mm), with the malar bone very deep beneath the orbit