Limnocyon ("swamp dog") is an extinct paraphyletic genus of limnocyonid hyaenodonts that lived in North America during the middle Eocene. Fossils of this animal have been found in California, Utah and Wyoming.[7]

Limnocyon
Temporal range: 50.5–39.7 Ma middle Eocene
Skull of Limnocyon verus
Life Restoration of L. verus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Hyaenodonta
Family: Hyaenodontidae
Subfamily: Limnocyoninae
Genus: Limnocyon
Marsh, 1872
Type species
Limnocyon verus
Marsh, 1872
Species
  • L. cuspidens (Morlo & Gunnell, 2005)[1]
  • L. potens (Matthew, 1909)[2]
  • L. verus (Marsh, 1872)[3]
Synonyms[4]
synonyms of genus:
  • Telmatocyon (Marsh, 1899)
synonyms of species:
  • L. potens:
    • Limnocyon douglassi (Peterson, 1919)[5]
    • Limnocyon protens (Kay, 1957)
  • L. verus:
    • Limnocyon riparius (Marsh, 1872)
    • Oxyaenodon wortmani (Van Valen, 1966)[6]
    • Sinopa vera (Matthew, 1899)
    • Sinopa verus (Matthew, 1901)
    • Stypolophus verus
    • Telmatocyon riparius (Marsh, 1899)
    • Triacodon grandis (Marsh, 1872)
    • Viverravus riparius (Marsh, 1872)

Description

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Limnocyon was a small omnivorous hyaenodontid, with some estimates placing it at less than 1 kg in weight.[7] Like other limnocyonids, Limnocyon had only two molars in the upper and lower dentition.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Michael Morlo; Gregg F. Gunnell (2005). "New Species of Limnocyon (Mammalia, Creodonta) from the Bridgerian (Middle Eocene)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 25 (1): 251–255. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2005)025[0251:nsolmc]2.0.co;2. S2CID 85666602.
  2. ^ W. D. Matthew (1909.) "The Carnivora and Insectivora of the Bridger Basin, middle Eocene." Memoirs of the American Museum of Natural History 9:289-567
  3. ^ O. C. Marsh (1872.) "Preliminary description of new Tertiary mammals. Part I." American Journal of Science 4(20):122-128
  4. ^ J. Alroy (2002.) "Synonymies and reidentifications of North American fossil mammals."
  5. ^ O. A. Peterson (1919.) "Report Upon the Material Discovered in the Upper Eocene of the Uinta Basin by Earl Douglas in the Years 1908-1909, and by O. A. Peterson in 1912." Annals of Carnegie Museum 12(2):40-168
  6. ^ L. Van Valen (1966.) "Deltatheridia, a new order of Mammals." Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 132(1):1-126
  7. ^ a b Paleobiology Database: Limnocyon