Thaumastocyoninae

Thaumastocyoninae
Temporal range: Miocene Early to Late Miocene, 23-9.1 Ma
Reconstruction of Agnotherium antiquum, Naturhistorisches Museum Mainz
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: †Amphicyonidae
Subfamily: †Thaumastocyoninae
Hürzeler, 1940
Genera

Thaumastocyoninae is an extinct subfamily of amphicyonids, large terrestrial carnivores, which inhabited what is now Europe during the Miocene epoch. The subfamily was erected by Hürzeler (1940), and is defined by the complete suppression of m1 metaconid, reduction of the premolars, except the p4, which is reinforced, and the oblique abrasion of the teeth, and the possession of hypercarnivorous tendencies.[1] Thaumastocyonines are poorly known, with only about 65 dental specimens, most of those isolated teeth, being known as of 2020,[2] although more complete remains have recently been discovered.[3]

  1. ^ Morales, J., O. Fejfar, E. Heizmann, J. Wagner, A. Valenciano, and J. Bella. 2019. A new Thaumastocyoninae (Amphicyonidae, Carnivora) from the early Miocene of Tuchořice, the Czech Republic. Fossil Imprint 75(3–4): 397–411.
  2. ^ Morlo M, Bastl K, Habersetzer J, Engel T, Lischewsky B, Lutz H, von Berg A, Rabenstein R, Nagel D. 2020. The apex of amphicyonid hypercarnivory: solving the riddle of Agnotherium antiquum Kaup, 1833 (Mammalia, Carnivora). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 39(5):e1705848 DOI 10.1080/02724634.2019.1705848.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).