Hyaenodontinae

Belongs within: Creodonta.

The Hyaenodontinae are a group of carnivorous, often cursorial mammals known from the Eocene to the Oligocene. They varied widely in size, with the smallest species little larger than a rat whereas Megistotherium osteothlastes of the Miocene of Libya was among the largest land carnivores known.

Characters (from Polly 1996): Hyaenodontids without metaconid, with narrow distal humerus, with nuchal crest extending to the mastoid process, with robust bridge over the foramen stylomastoid primitivum, without bony ridge dividing the posterior petrosal sinus from the foramen stylomastoid primitivum, with inflated posterior petrosal sinus, and with horse-shoe shaped subarcuate fossa.

<==Hyaenodontinae [Hyaenodontini]
    |--Ischnognathus Stovall 1948V66
    |--Cynodon helveticus Rütimeyer 1862V65
    |--Leakitherium Savage 1965 [incl. Isohyaenodon Savage 1965]V67
    |    `--L. hiwegiS78
    |--Megalopterodon Dashzeveg 1964S78, V67
    |    `--M. mongoliensis [=Pterodon mongoliensis]V67
    |--Megistotherium Savage 1973S78, D07
    |    `--M. osteothlastesS78
    |--Paracynohyaenodon Martin 1906V67
    |    `--*P. schlosseri Martin 1906V65
    |--Quercitherium Filhol 1880V67
    |    `--*Q. tenebrosum Filhol 1880V65
    |--Hemipsalodon Cope 1885V66
    |    |--H. cookiV67
    |    `--H. grandis Cope 1885H96 [=Pterodon grandisV67]
    |--Prodissopsalis Matthes 1952 [incl. Imperatoria Matthes 1952 non de Gregorio 1930]V67
    |    |--*P. eocaenicus Matthes 1952 (see below for synonymy)V65
    |    |--P. phonax Van Valen 1965V65
    |    `--P. theriodis Van Valen 1965 [=Propterodon theriodis]V65
    |--Metasinopa Osborn 1909V67
    |    |--*M. fraasi Osborn 1909V65
    |    |--M. aethiopica (Andrews 1906) [=Sinopa aethiopica]V66
    |    `--M. napakiS78 [=Paracynohyaenodon napakiV67]
    |--Dissopsalis Pilgrim 1910V67
    |    |--*D. carnifex Pilgrim 1910V65
    |    |--D. pyroclasticusS78
    |    `--D. ruber Pilgrim 1910V65
    |--Tritemnodon Matthew 1906V67
    |    |--*T. agilis (Marsh 1872) [incl. Stypolophus brevicalcaratus Cope 1872, Sinopa gracilis Wortman 1902]V65
    |    |--T. hians (Cope 1877)V65
    |    |--T. strenua (Cope 1875)V65
    |    `--T. whitiae (Cope 1882)V65
    |--Cynohyaenodon Filhol 1873 [incl. Pseudosinopa Depéret 1917]V67
    |    |--*C. cayluxi (Filhol 1873)V65
    |    |--C. leenhardti Martin 1906V65
    |    |--C. ruetimeyeri (Depéret 1917) [=*Pseudosinopa rutimeyeri]V65
    |    `--C. trux Van Valen 1965V65
    `--Hyaenodon Laizer & Parieu 1838 (see below for synonymy)V66
         |--*H. leptorhynchusOB13
         |--H. andrewsiS78 [=Hyaenodon (Isohyaenodon) andrewsiV67]
         |--H. brachycephalus Osborn 1909S68
         |--H. brevirostrisV91
         |--H. cruciansD07
         |--H. cruentusD07
         |--H. gigasD07
         |--H. horridus Leidy 1853S96
         |--H. matthewiS78
         |--H. microdon Mellett 1977S96
         |--H. pilgrimiS78
         |--H. schlosseriV65
         |--H. venturaeW96
         `--H. vetusP96

Hyaenodon Laizer & Parieu 1838 [incl. Neohyaenodon Thorpe 1922, Protohyaenodon Stock 1933, Pseudopterodon Schlosser 1887, Taxotherium Blainville 1841]^V66

*Prodissopsalis eocaenicus Matthes 1952 [incl. Imperatoria gallwitzi Matthes 1952, I. hageni Matthes 1952, Geiselotherium robustum Matthes 1952]^V65

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[D07] Dixon, D. 2007. The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures. Hermes House: London.

[H96] Hanson, C. B. 1996. Stratigraphy and vertebrate faunas of the Bridgerian-Duchesnean Clarno Formation, north-central Oregon. In: Prothero, D. R., & R. J. Emry (eds) The Terrestrial Eocene–Oligocene Transition in North America pp. 206–239. Cambridge University Press.

[OB13] O’Leary, M. A., J. I. Bloch, J. J. Flynn, T. J. Gaudin, A. Giallombardo, N. P. Giannini, S. L. Goldberg, B. P. Kraatz, Z.-X. Luo, J. Meng, X. Ni, M. J. Novacek, F. A. Perini, Z. S. Randall, G. W. Rougier, E. J. Sargis, M. T. Silcox, N. B. Simmons, M. Spaulding, P. M. Velazco, M. Weksler, J. R. Wible & A. L. Cirranello. 2013. The placental mammal ancestor and the post-K-Pg radiation of placentals. Science 339: 662–667.

[P96] Prothero, D. R. 1996. Magnetic stratigraphy and biostratigraphy of the Middle Eocene Uinta Formation, Uinta Basin, Utah. In: Prothero, D. R., & R. J. Emry (eds) The Terrestrial Eocene–Oligocene Transition in North America pp. 3–24. Cambridge University Press.

[S78] Savage, R. J. G. 1978. Carnivora. In: Maglio, V. J., & H. B. S. Cooke (eds) Evolution of African Mammals pp. 249–267. Harvard University Press: Cambridge (Massachusetts).

[S68] Simons, E. L. 1968. African Oligocene mammals: introduction, history of study, and faunal succession. Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, Bulletin 28: 1–21.

[S96] Storer, J. E. 1996. Eocene-Oligocene faunas of the Cypress Hills Formation, Saskatchewan. In: Prothero, D. R., & R. J. Emry (eds) The Terrestrial Eocene–Oligocene Transition in North America pp. 240–261. Cambridge University Press.

[V91] Valkenburgh, B. van. 1991. Iterative evolution of hypercarnivory in canids (Mammalia: Carnivora): evolutionary interactions among sympatric predators. Paleobiology 17 (4): 340–362.

[V65] Van Valen, L. 1965. Some European Proviverrini (Mammalia, Deltatheridia). Palaeontology 8 (4): 638–665.

[V66] Van Valen, L. 1966. Deltatheridia, a new order of mammals. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 132 (1): 1–126.

[V67] Van Valen, L. 1967. New Paleocene insectivores and insectivore classification. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 135 (5): 217–284.

[W96] Walsh, S. L. 1996. S. Middle Eocene mammal faunas of San Diego County, California. In: Prothero, D. R., & R. J. Emry (eds) The Terrestrial Eocene–Oligocene Transition in North America pp. 75–119. Cambridge University Press.