Gracilocyon, Smith & Smith, 2010

Smith, Thierry & Smith, Richard, 2009, A New Genus of “ Miacid ” Carnivoran from the Earliest Eocene of Europe and North America, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 55 (4), pp. 761-764 : 761

Genus Gracilocyon nov.

Figs. 1 , 2 .

Type species: Miacis winkleri ( Gingerich, 1983) comb. nov.

Etymology: From Latin gracilis, gracile, slender; from Greek kyon, dog.

Included species: Gracilocyon winkleri ( Gingerich, 1983) , G. rosei ( Heinrich, Strait, and Houde, 2008) comb. nov., and G. solei sp. nov.

Diagnosis.—Small “miacid” differing from all other “miacid” genera by a gracile and sharp dentition; narrow lower premolars with salient paraconid on p3–4; posterior accessory cusp present on p4 talonid; high crowned p4 and m1–2; three lower molars with long talonid basin; M1 with triangular outline, nearly symmetrical stylar shelf with long and labially oriented postmetacrista, deep ectoflexus, and antero−posteriorly short protocone; M2 short and wide with well developed stylar shelf.

Figures

Fig. 1. “Miacid” carnivoran Gracilocyon solei sp. nov., from the earliest Eocene of the Tienen Formation, Dormaal, Belgium, in labial (A1–D1), occlusal (A2–D2), and lingual (A3, B3) views. A. IRSNB M 1325 (TS46), Rp4. B. IRSNB M 1326 (D133), Lm2. C. IRSNB M 1327 (DIII314RS, holotype), LM1. D. IRSNB M 1328 (DIII795RS), LM2. SEM micrographs.

Fig. 2. “Miacid” carnivoran Gracilocyon winkleri (Gingerich, 1983) comb. nov., from the early Eocene of the Willwood formation, locality Sc−210 (Wa−2), Clark’s Fork basin, Wyoming, USA, UM 75432 (holotype).Left dentary with p4–m2 in oblique labial (A), labial (B), occlusal (C), and lingual (D) views.