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Phlaocyonini

Phlaocyonini
Temporal range: Oligocene to Miocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Subfamily: Borophaginae
Tribe: Phlaocyonini
Wang, Tedford, & Taylor, 1999
Phlaocyonini range.png
Broad range of the clade Phlaocyonini based on fossil record

Phlaocyonini is a hypocarnivorous clade or tribe of Borophaginae. This is an extinct group of canids that were endemic to North America and which lived during the Oligocene epoch (Whitneyan stage) to the Miocene (Early Barstovian) living ~33.3–5.3 Ma, existing for approximately 28.3 million years.

Phlaocyonini

The clade includes Cynarctoides and Phlaocyon. These two genus members represent differing approaches of hypocarnivory. The Cynarctoides trend toward having molar teeth with crowns formed of crescent-shaped cusps and remain small in size. Phlaocyon specialize toward rounded cusps on the molar teeth but of increasing size, with an unusual trend toward being hypercarnivores by two terminal species in the clade.

Four transitional species of Cormocyon and Desmocyon occupy intermediate positions between the Phlaocyonini and Cynarctina. These represent a gradual size increase toward medium-size individuals.

A few of many sites:


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