Kingdom Animalia Order Carnivora Subfamily Caninae Higher classification True dogs | Phylum Chordata Family Canidae Scientific name Dusicyon Rank Genus | |
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Similar Falkland Islands wolf, Canidae, South American fox, Mammal, Culpeo | ||
Dusicyon is an extinct genus of South American canids. The type species is Dusicyon australis, the Falkland Islands wolf. In 1914, Oldfield Thomas established this genus, in which he included the culpeo and other South American foxes. These other canids were removed to Lycalopex by Langguth in 1975. Dusicyon avus, widely distributed in the late Pleistocene from Uruguay through Buenos Aires Province to southernmost Chile, is the closest known relative of the Falkland Islands wolf; the two lineages split only about 16,000 years ago. It died out in the late Holocene, about 2980 years ago on the island of Tierra del Fuego and almost 1700 years in the continent.
There is still much debate about the classification of "Dusicyon" cultridens. It has been suggested that this species be placed in the genera Canis and Pseudalopex. This debate makes D. cultridens poorly researched.