|
''Merycoidodon'' ("ruminating teeth") is an extinct genus of terrestrial herbivore of the family ''Merycoidodontidae'', subfamily ''Merycoidodontinae'' (oreodont), more popularly known by the name ''Oreodon'' ("hillock teeth") endemic to North America during the Late Eocene-Early Miocene subepochs (38—16.3 mya) existing for approximately .〔(PaleoBiology Database: ''Merycoidodon'', basic info )〕 ==Taxonomy== ''Merycoidodon'' was named by Leidy (1848). Its type is ''Merycoidodon culbertsoni''. It was considered a ''nomen nudum'' by Cope (1884); it was considered a ''nomen dubium'' by Sinclair (1924); it was considered a ''nomen vanum'' by Lander (1998). It was assigned to ''Merycoidodontidae'' by Joseph Leidy (1848), Thorpe (1937), Scott (1940), Galbreath (1953), Toohey (1959) and Stevens and Stevens (1996).〔B. Lander. 1998. Oreodontoidea. In C. M. Janis, K. M. Scott, and L. L. Jacobs (eds.), Evolution of Tertiary mammals of North America 402-425〕〔L. Toohey. 1959. The species of Nimravus (Carnivora, Felidae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 118〕 Most researchers in paleobiology and paleontology, however, now use the antecedent genus ''Merycoidodon'' to refer to this Oligocene epoch oreodont. The name "''Oreodon''" is actually a synonym of the fish genus ''Orodus'', and is, thus, not a valid scientific name. Taxonomically speaking, ''Merycoidodon'' (a.k.a. ''Oreodon'') belongs to the family "Merycoidodontidae" (once known as "Oreodontidae"), a group of artiodactyls related to camels that were endemic to North America. Its ancestors date back to the Eocene and its last descendants are known from the Pliocene, so that oreodonts, broadly speaking, lived throughout the whole of the Tertiary era. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Merycoidodon」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|