Nyctereutes is an east Asian genus of the family Canidae, consisting of just one living species, the Raccoon Dog.[1] Nyctereutes, as a genus, is shown to have appeared about 9.0 Ma with all but one species becoming extinct before the Pleistocene.
[edit] Taxonomy
It is considered a basal genus, resembling the ancestral form of Canidae. It most likely diverged from other canids seven to ten million years ago.
Nyctereutes was named by Temminck (1839). It was assigned to Canidae by Carroll (1988) and Geraads (1997).[2][3]
[edit] Species
- †Nyctereutes abdeslami 3.6—1.8 Ma (Morocco)[4]
- †Nyctereutes donnezani 9.0—3.4 Ma. (Eastern Europe, Spain)
- †Nyctereutes sinensis 3.6 Ma—781,000 years ago (Eastern Asia)[5]
[edit] References
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