Merycopotamus

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Merycopotamus
Fossil range: Middle Miocene to Late Pliocene
Conservation status
Fossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: †Anthracotheriidae
Subfamily: †Bothriodontinae
Genus: †Merycopotamus
Falconer & Cautley, 1847
Type species
†Merycopotamus dissimilis
Species
  • †M. dissimilis
  • †M. medioximus
  • †M. nanus

Merycopotamus is an extinct genus of Asian anthracothere that appeared during the Middle Miocene, and died out in the Late Pliocene. At the height of the genus' influence, species ranged throughout southern Asia.[1] With the extinction of the last species, M. dissimilis, the lineage of anthracotheres came to an end. Merycopotamus was closely related to the anthracothere genus Libycosaurus, which, unlike the former, never left Africa.[2] In fact, some African fossils were once placed in Merycopotamus, but are now referred to Libycosaurus.[1][3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Lihoreau, F., J. Barry, C. Blondel, Y. Chiamanee, J.-J. Jaeger and M. Brunet (2007). "Anatomical revision of the genus Merycopotamus (Artiodactyla; Anthracotheriidae): its significance for late Miocene mammal dispersal in Asia". Palaeontology 50 (2): 503–524. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2006.00643.x. 
  2. ^ Lihoreau, Fabrice and Jean-Renaud Boisserie, et alia.. "Anthracothere dental anatomy reveals a late Miocene Chado-Libyan bioprovince" (in PDF). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (originally published online May 24, 2006). 
  3. ^ Pickford, Martin. (2006). "Sexual and individual morphometric variation in Libycosaurus (Mammalia, Anthracotheriidae) from the Maghreb and Libya". Geobios 39 (2): 267–310. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2004.06.006. 
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