Cynarctoides

Cynarctoides Temporal range:
Cynarctoides lemur fossil, University of California Museum of Paleontology.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Canidae
Subfamily:	†Borophaginae
Tribe:	†Phlaocyonini
Genus:	Cynarctoides McGrew, 1938
Type species
†Cynarctoides
Species
†C. acridens †C. emryi †C. gawnae †C. harlowi †C. lemur †C. luskensis †C. roli
Range of Cynarctoides based on fossil record

Cynarctoides is an extinct genus of terrestrial canine of the family Borophaginae and tribe Phlaocyonini which inhabited most of North America during the Whitneyan stage of the Early Oligocene to the Barstovian stage of the Middle Miocene 33.3—13.6 Mya existing approximately 19.7 million years.

Origin

Cynarctoides is derived from the Nothocyon and gave rise to Borophaginae, a short-face, heavy-jawed canine usually massive in size. Cynarctoides shared part of its period of time with a variety of bear dogs like Aelurodontina, Tomarctus and the giant mustelid genus of bone-crushing canidae.

Taxonomy

Cynarctoides was named by P. O. McGrew in 1938 and R. L. Carroll in 1988 and assigned to the family Canidae. Xiaoming Wang later placed it in the Borophaginae genus of Phlaocyonini.

Morphology

Fossil specimens of two individuals' body mass were examined by Legendre and Roth.

• Specimen 1 was estimated at 1.28 kg (2.8 lb).
• Specimen 2 was estimated at 1.21 kg (2.7 lb).

Species

Species within Cynarctoides are:

• Cynarctoides acridens (synonymous with Cynarctus mustelinus) existed for 15 mya †
• Cynarctoides emryi existed for 4.3 mya †
• Cynarctoides gawnae existed for 15 mya †
• Cynarctoides harlowi existed for 4 mya †
• Cynarctoides lemur existed for 11.3 mya †
• Cynarctoides luskensis existed for 4.2 mya †
• Cynarctoides roii existed for 4.5 mya †

Fossil distribution

Sites representing each species of Cynarctoides with age of find:

• Sharps Site, Sharps Formation, Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota, (C. roii) ~30.8—26.3 Ma.
• Buda Mine Site, Alachua County, Florida (C. lemur) ~24.8—20.6 Ma.
• Chugwater Site, Platte County, Wyoming (C. luskensis) ~24.8—20.6 Ma.
• Van Tassel, Niobrara County, Wyoming (C. harlowi) ~24.8—20.6 Ma.
• Split Rock Site, Arikaree Formation, Natrona County, Wyoming, (C. acridens) ~20.6—16.3 Ma.
• Hemingford Quarry 7B, Runningwater Formation, Box Butte County, Nebraska (C. emryi) ~20.6—16.3 Ma.
• Blickomlyus Hill Site, Zia Sand Formation, Sandoval County, New Mexico (C. gawnae) ~20.3—5.3 Ma.
• Hidalgo Bluff Site, Oakville Formation, Washington County, Texas (C. acridens) ~20.3—5.3 Ma.

References

• Martin, L.D. 1989. Fossil history of the terrestrial carnivora. Pages 536 - 568 in J.L. Gittleman, editor. Carnivore Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution, Vol. 1. Comstock Publishing Associates: Ithaca.
• Tedford, R.H. 1978. History of dogs and cats: A view from the fossil record. Pages 1 - 10 in Nutrition and Management of Dogs and Cats. Ralston Purina Co.: St. Louis.
• - Bio One Data Base - Cynarctoides