Suborder Caniformia Rank Genus | Phylum Chordata Family †Amphicyonidae | |
Similar Ysengrinia, Temnocyon, Daphoenus, Agnotherium, Cynelos | ||
Paradaphoenus is a physically small member of the extinct family of terrestrial carnivores belonging to the suborder Caniformia, family Amphicyonidae ("bear dog"), and which inhabited North America from the Early Oligocene subepoch to the Early Miocene subepoch living 33.9—16.3 Ma, existing for approximately 17.6 million years.
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Taxonomy
Paradaphoenus was named by Wortman and Matthew (1899) and was assigned to Daphoeninae by Hunt (1998); and to Amphicyonidae by Wortman and Matthew (1899), Carroll (1988) and Hunt (2001).
Morphology
A single specimen was measured by Legendre and Roth in 1988 and estimated mass was 1.89 kg (4.1 lbs).
Fossil distribution
Haystack, Oregon, Banner County, Nebraska, Dawes County, Nebraska, Sheep Mtn, South Dakota.
Species
P. cuspigerus (synonymous with Amphicyon entoptychi), P. minimus, P. tooheyi
Sister genera
Afrocyon, Amphicyanis, Arctamphicyon, Brachycyon, Cynodictis, Drassonax, Goupilictis, Guangxicyon, Haplocyon, Haplocyonoides, Haplocyonopsis, Harpagophagus, Ictiocyon, Pachycynodon, Protemnocyon, Pseudamphicyon, Pseudarctos, Pseudocyonopsis, Sarcocyon, Symplectocyon, Vishnucyon