Miacis

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Miacis ("small point") is an extinct genus of placental mammals from clade Carnivoraformes, that lived in North America from the early to middle Eocene.[1][2][3]

Description

Miacis was five-clawed, about the size of a weasel (~30 cm), and lived on the North American continent. It retained some primitive characteristics such as a low skull, a long slender body, a long tail, and short legs. Miacis retained 44 teeth, although some reductions in this number were apparently in progress and some of the teeth were reduced in size.

File:Miacis cropped.png
Illustration of Miacis

The hind limbs were longer than the forelimbs, the pelvis was dog-like in form and structure, and some specialized traits were present in the vertebrae. It had retractable claws, agile joints for climbing, and binocular vision. Miacis and related forms had brains that were relatively larger than those of the creodonts, and the larger brain size as compared with body size probably reflects an increase in intelligence.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Like many other early carnivoramorphans, it was well suited for an arboreal climbing lifestyle with needle-sharp claws, limbs, and joints resembling modern carnivorans. Miacis was probably a very agile forest dweller that preyed upon smaller animals, such as small mammals, reptiles, and birds, and might also have eaten eggs and fruits.[4]

Classification and phylogeny

Classification

Genus: †Miacis (Cope, 1872)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Species: Distribution of the species and type locality: Age:
†M. parvivorus (Cope, 1872)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[5] File:Flag of the United States.svg USA 50,0 to 46,2 Ma

History of taxonomy

File:Miacis fossil sites.PNG
The locations of fossil site where Miacis fossils have been found.

Since Edward Drinker Cope first described the genus Miacis in 1872, at least twenty other species have been assigned to Miacis. However, these species share few synapomorphies other than plesiomorphic characteristics of miacids in general. This reflects the fact that Miacis has been treated as a wastebasket taxon and contains a diverse collection of species that belong to the stemgroup within the Carnivoraformes.[3] Many of the species originally assigned to Miacis have since been assigned to other genera and, apart from the type species, Miacis parvivorus, the remaining species are often referred to with Miacis in quotations (e.g. "Miacis" latidens). The following table lists the former Miacis species in chronological order of their original description and notes the reassignments to other genera.

Species: Type locality: Status and notes:
M. sylvestris (Marsh, 1872)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[9] Bridger Formation (Wyoming, USA) now assigned to genus Harpalodon as Harpalodon sylvestris[10][11]
M. vulpinus (Scott & Osborn, 1887)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[12] Uinta Basin (Utah, USA) Described as Amphicyon vulpinum; later assigned to Prodaphaenus and Miacis;[13] now recognised as synonym of Miocyon scotti
M. uintensis (Osborn, 1895)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[14] Uinta Basin (Utah, USA) now assigned to genus Prodaphaenus as Prodaphaenus uintensis[7]
M. hargeri (Wortman, 1901)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[10] Bridger Formation (Wyoming, USA) recognised as close relative to genus Lycarion
M. washakius (Wortman, 1901)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[10] Bridger Formation (Wyoming, USA) now assigned to genus Neovulpavus as Neovulpavus washakius[11]
M. medius (Matthew, 1909)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[13] Bridger Formation (Wyoming, USA) now assigned to genus Lycarion as Lycarion medius[11]
M. exiguus (Matthew & Granger, 1915)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[15] Clark's Fork Basin (Wyoming, USA) recognised as close relative to genus Dormaalocyon
M. latidens (Matthew & Granger, 1915)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[15] Clark's Fork Basin (Wyoming, USA) classified as a species of carnivoraform mammals outside of genus Miacis
M. invictus (Matthew & Granger, 1925)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[16] Irdin Manha Formation (Inner Mongolia, China) classified as a species of carnivoraform mammals outside of genus Miacis
M. hookwayi (Stock, 1934)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[17] Tapo Canyon (California, USA) classified as a species of carnivoraform mammals outside of genus Miacis
M. gracilis (Clark, 1939)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[18] Uinta Basin (Utah, USA) classified as a species of carnivoraform mammals outside of genus Miacis
M. latouri (Quinet, 1966)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[19] Dormaal (Flemish Brabant, Belgium) now assigned to genus Dormaalocyon as Dormaalocyon latouri[20]
M. lushiensis (Chow, 1975)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[21] Shanghuang Quarry (Jiangsu, China) classified as a species of carnivoraform mammals outside of genus Miacis
M. deutschi (Gingerich, 1983)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[22] Clark's Fork Basin (Wyoming, USA) classified as a species of carnivoraform mammals outside of genus Miacis
M. petilus (Gingerich, 1983)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[22] Clark's Fork Basin (Wyoming, USA) classified as a species of carnivoraform mammals outside of genus Miacis
M. winkleri (Gingerich, 1983)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[22] Clark's Fork Basin (Wyoming, USA) now assigned to genus Gracilocyon as type species Gracilocyon winkleri[23]
M. australis (Gustafson, 1986)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[24] Rifle Range Hollow or Blue Cliff Horizon (Texas, USA) now assigned to genus Angelarctocyon as Angelarctocyon australis in family Amphicyonidae[25]
M. cognitus Gustafson, 1986Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[24] Reeves Bonebed (Texas, USA) now assigned to genus Gustafsonia as Gustafsonia cognita in family Amphicyonidae[25]
M. thailandicus (Ducrocq et al., 1992)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[26] Krabi (South Thailand) now assigned to genus Xinyuictis as Xinyuictis thailandicus
M. boqinghensis (Huang et al., 1999)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[27] Huoshipo, Guojiazhuang Village, Hedi Formation (China) classified as a species of carnivoraform mammals outside of genus Miacis
M. rosei (Heinrich et al., 2008)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[28] Wyoming, USA now assigned to genus Gracilocyon as Gracilocyon rosei[23]
M. rundlei (Hooker, 2010)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[29] Abbey Wood, England, UK now assigned to genus Gracilocyon as Gracilocyon rundlei[20]
M. solei (Smith & Smith, 2010)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[23] Dormaal (Flemish Brabant, Belgium) now assigned to genus Gracilocyon as Gracilocyon solei[23]

Phylogeny

The phylogenetic relationships of genus Miacis are shown in the following cladogram:[30][20][31][11] Script error: No such module "Clade".

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ J. J. Flynn (1998.) "Early Cenozoic Carnivora ("Miacoidea")." In C. M. Janis, K. M. Scott, and L. L. Jacobs (eds.) "Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America. Volume 1: Terrestrial Carnivores, Ungulates, and Ungulatelike Mammals." Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Template:ISBN
  3. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ E. D. Cope (1872.) "Third account of new Vertebrata from the Bridger Eocene of Wyoming Territory." Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 12:469-472
  6. ↑ M. R. Thorpe (1923) "New species of Uinta Carnivora from White River, Utah." Template:Webarchive American Journal of Science 5(27):218-224
  7. ↑ a b Anthony R. Friscia and D. Tab Rassmussen (2010) „Middle Eocene Carnivoramorpha of the Uinta Basin, Utah”. Annals of Carnegie Museum, vol. 79 (1), pp. 51-63
  8. ↑ K. D. Rose, A. E. Chew, R. H. Dunn, M. J. Kraus, H. C. Fricke and S. P. Zack (2012) "Earliest Eocene mammalian fauna from the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum at Sand Creek Divide, southern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming." University of Michigan Papers on Paleontology 36:1-122
  9. ↑ O. C. Marsh (1872.) "Preliminary description of new Tertiary mammals. Part II." Template:Webarchive American Journal of Science 4(21):202-224
  10. ↑ a b c J. L. Wortman (1901.) "Studies of Eocene Mammalia in the Marsh Collection, Peabody Museum." The American Journal of Science, series 4 12:193-206
  11. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ W. B. Scott and H. F. Osborn (1887.) "Preliminary Report on the Vertebrate Fossils of the Uinta Formation, Collected by the Princeton Expedition of 1886." Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 24(126):255-264
  13. ↑ a b W. D. Matthew (1909) "The Carnivora and Insectivora of the Bridger Basin, middle Eocene." Memoirs of the American Museum of Natural History 9:289-567
  14. ↑ H. F. Osborn (1895) "Fossil mammals of the Uinta Basin. Expedition of 1894." Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 7(2):71-105
  15. ↑ a b W. D. Matthew and W. Granger (1915.) "A revision of the Lower Eocene Wasatch and Wind River faunas." Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 34(1):1-103
  16. ↑ Matthew W. D. & Granger W. (1925.) "New mammals from the Irdin Manha Eocene of Mongolia." American Museum Novitates 198:1–10.
  17. ↑ C. Stock (1934) "New creodonta from the Sespe upper Eocene, California." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 20(7):423-427
  18. ↑ Clark, John (1939.) "Miacis gracilis, a new carnivore from the Uinta Eocene." Annals of The Carnegie Museum 27, 349-370
  19. ↑ G. E. Quinet (1966) "Les mammifères du Landénien continental belge, second tome. Etude de la morphologie dentaire comparée des carnivores de Dormaal." Mémoires de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles Belges, 158:1-64.
  20. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ a b c P. D. Gingerich (1983) "Systematics of Early Eocene Miacidae (Mammalia, Carnivora) in the Clark's Fork Basin, Wyoming." Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan 26(10):197-225
  23. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ a b E. P. Gustafson (1986.) "Carnivorous mammals of the Late Eocene and Early Oligocene of Trans-Pecos Texas." Texas Memorial Museum Bulletin 33:1-66
  25. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Ducrocq S., Buffetaut E., Buffetaut-Tong H., Helmcke-Ingavat R., Jaeger J.-J., Jongkanchanasoontorn Y. and Suteethorn V. (1992) "A lower Tertiary vertebrate fauna from Krabi (South Thailand)." Neues Jahrbuch fuer Geologie und Palaeontologie Abhandlungen 184(1): 101–122.
  27. ↑ X.-S. Huang, Y.-S. Tong and J.-W. Wang (1999.) "A new Miacis (Mammalia Carnivora, Miacidae) from the Middle Eocene of Yuanqu Basin, Shanxi Province." Vertebrata PalAsiatica 37(4):291-299
  28. ↑ Cite error: Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".

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