PBDB Taxon

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Meniscotheriinae

Mammalia - Phenacodontidae

Taxonomy

Meniscotheriidae was named by Cope (1882). Its type is Meniscotherium.

It was misspelled as Meniscotheridae by López-Martínez and Peláez-Campomanes (1999); it was reranked as the subfamily Meniscotheriinae by Archibald (1998) and Halliday et al. (2017).

It was assigned to Condylarthra by Cope (1889) and Flower and Lydekker (1891); to Condylarthra by Hay (1902) and Gregory (1910); to Condylarthri by Jaekel (1911); to Condylarthra by Carroll (1988) and López-Martínez and Peláez-Campomanes (1999); and to Phenacodontidae by Archibald (1998) and Halliday et al. (2017).

Subtaxa

Ectocion (syn. Prosthecion, Gidleyina), Meniscotherium (syn. Hyracops) (type genus)

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1882	Meniscotheriidae Cope
1889	Meniscotheriidae Cope p. 876
1891	Meniscotheriidae Flower and Lydekker p. 90
1902	Meniscotheriidae Hay p. 605
1910	Meniscotheriidae Gregory p. 466
1911	Meniscotheridae Jaekel p. 238
1988	Meniscotheriidae Carroll
1998	Meniscotheriinae Archibald p. 321
1999	Meniscotheridae López-Martínez and Peláez-Campomanes p. 691
2017	Meniscotheriinae Halliday et al. p. 527

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
—	Osteichthyes	()
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
subclass	Synapsida
—	Therapsida	()

Rank	Name	Author
infraorder	Cynodontia	()
—	Mammaliamorpha
—	Mammaliaformes
class	Mammalia
—	Cladotheria
—	Zatheria
subclass	Tribosphenida	()
subclass	Theria
—	Eutheria	()
—	Placentalia
—	Boreoeutheria
—	Laurasiatheria
—	Scrotifera
—	Euungulata
—	Panperissodactyla
—	Phenacodonta
family	Phenacodontidae	Cope 1881
subfamily	Meniscotheriinae	(Cope 1882)
subfamily	Meniscotheriinae	(Cope 1882)

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Subfm. †Meniscotheriinae Cope 1882

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G. †Ectocion Cope 1882

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†Ectocion cedrus Thewissen 1990

†Ectocion collinus Russell 1929

Invalid names: Gidleyina montanensis Gidley 1935 [synonym], Gidleyina silberlingi Gidley 1935 [synonym], Gidleyina wyomingensis Gazin 1956 [synonym], Meniscotherium semicingulatum Russell 1929 [synonym], Tetraclaenodon superior Simpson 1935 [synonym]

†Ectocion ignotum Novacek et al. 1991

†Ectocion major Patterson and West 1973

†Ectocion mediotuber Thewissen 1990

†Ectocion nanabeensis Beard and Dawson 2009

†Ectocion osbornianus Cope 1882

Invalid names: Ectocion ralstonensis Granger 1915 [synonym]

†Ectocion parvus Granger 1915

†Ectocion stockeyae Montellano-Ballesteros et al. 2021

†Ectocion superstes Granger 1915

Invalid names: Gidleyina Simpson 1935 [synonym], Prosthecion Patterson and West 1973 [synonym]

G. †Meniscotherium Cope 1874

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†Meniscotherium chamense Cope 1874

Invalid names: Hyracops socialis Marsh 1892 [synonym], Meniscotherium robustum Thorpe 1934 [synonym], Meniscotherium terraerubrae Cope 1881 [synonym]

†Meniscotherium priscum Granger 1915

†Meniscotherium tapiacitum Cope 1882

Invalid names: Hyracops Marsh 1892 [synonym]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

No measurements are available

Composition:

phosphaticsubp

Environment:

terrestrialsubc

Locomotion:

actively mobilec

Life habit:

ground dwellingf

Diet:

herbivoref

Reproduction:

viviparoussubc

Created:

2005-08-31 14:04:22

Modified:

2011-04-24 18:24:26

Source: f = family, subc = subclass, c = class, subp = subphylum

References: Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009, Archibald 1998, Ji et al. 2002, Lillegraven 1979

Age range: base of the Ti1 to the top of the Early/Lower Eocene or 61.70000 to 48.60000 Ma

Collections (452 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Danian	66.0 - 61.6	USA (North Dakota)	Ectocion wyomingensis (14962)
Torrejonian - Tiffanian	63.8 - 56.8	USA (Wyoming)	Ectocion sp. (14820 14849)
Ti1	61.7 - 56.8	Canada (Alberta)	Ectocion collinus (14938 14939 195856)
Ti3	61.7 - 56.8	Canada (Alberta)	Ectocion cedrus (14928)
Ti4	61.7 - 56.8	Canada (Saskatchewan)	Ectocion osbornianus (14978)
Ti5	61.7 - 56.8	USA (Wyoming)	Ectocion osbornianus (46654) Ectocion sp. (46655)
Tiffanian	61.7 - 56.8	Canada (Alberta)	Ectocion osbornianus (14995) Ectocion sp. (14949 14951 14973) Ectocion wyomingensis (14941 14954 14959)
Tiffanian	61.7 - 56.8	USA (Wyoming)	Ectocion cedrus (15061 15066 15071 190426 190436 190440 190494) Ectocion cedrus, Ectocion collinus (15031) Ectocion collinus (14936 15060 15063 198262) Ectocion mediotuber (15007 15057 26569 53059 85096 190403 190406 190421 190427 190442 190443 190444 190466 190470 190490) Ectocion osbornianus (15036 15049 190412 190413 190419 190420 190459 190461 190462 190463 190476 190481 190482 190484) Ectocion sp. (14940 15054 15067) Ectocion wyomingensis (14926 14952 14979 14980 14982 14983 15017) Gidleyina sp. (15034) Gidleyina wyomingensis (14964 14989 14997 14999 15001)
Tiffanian	61.7 - 56.8	USA (Colorado)	Ectocion medituber (174227)
Tiffanian	61.7 - 56.8	USA (Montana)	Ectocion cedrus (15002 15033) Ectocion collinus (15025 15047) Ectocion sp. (15010 133180) Ectocion wyomingensis (14937) Gidleyina montanensis (15053) Gidleyina silberlingi (15040) Gidleyina superior (15037)
Tiffanian	61.7 - 56.8	USA (North Dakota)	Ectocion collinus (15006) Ectocion sp. (14976 15000) Ectocion wyomingensis (14931 14977)
Late/Upper Paleocene	58.7 - 55.8	USA (Wyoming)	Ectocion cedrus (15018 15024) Ectocion mediotuber (188220)
Late/Upper Paleocene - Early/Lower Eocene	58.7 - 48.6	USA (Wyoming)	Ectocion osbornianus (80579)
Cf1	56.2 - 54.9	USA (Wyoming)	Ectocion osbornianus (46649)
Cf2	56.2 - 54.9	USA (Wyoming)	Ectocion osbornianus (46651 46679)
Cf3	56.2 - 54.9	USA (Wyoming)	Ectocion osbornianus (46676 46678)
Clarkforkian	56.2 - 54.9	USA (Colorado)	Ectocion osbornianus (15249 15254) Ectocion osbornianus, Ectocion parvus, Prosthecion major (15252) Ectocion osbornianus, Prosthecion major (15246) Ectocion parvus (15241 15250) Prosthecion major (15248 15258)
Clarkforkian	56.2 - 54.9	USA (Wyoming)	Ectocion major, Ectocion osbornianus (164515) Ectocion osbornianus (15072 15073 15080 15082 15083 15084 15085 15087 15089 15091 15093 15094 15095 15096 15097 15098 15099 15100 15101 15102 15103 15104 15105 15106 15107 15108 15109 15110 15111 15112 15113 15114 15115 15116 15117 15119 15120 15121 15122 15123 15124 15125 15126 15127 15128 15129 15130 15131 15132 15133 15134 15135 15136 15137 15138 15139 15141 15142 15144 15145 15146 15147 15148 15149 15150 15151 15152 15153 15154 15155 15156 15157 15159 15160 15161 15162 15163 15164 15165 15166 15167 15168 15169 15170 15171 15172 15173 15174 15175 15176 15177 15178 15179 15180 15181 15182 15183 15184 15185 15186 15187 15189 15190 15191 15192 15193 15194 15196 15198 15199 15200 15201 15202 15203 15204 15205 15206 15207 15208 15209 15212 15213 15216 154182 164513 190416 190422 190430 190431 190433 190434 190451 190455 190485 190486 239208) Ectocion osbornianus, Ectocion parvus (15092) Ectocion ralstonensis (15218) Ectocion sp. (15075 15217)
Graybullian	55.8 - 50.3	USA (Wyoming)	Meniscotherium tapiacitis (15878)
Lostcabinian	55.8 - 50.3	USA (Wyoming)	Ectocion superstes (16005)
Lysitean - Lostcabinian	55.8 - 50.3	USA (Wyoming)	Meniscotherium tapiacitis (15451)
Wasatchian	55.8 - 50.3	USA (California)	Meniscotherium sp. (15677)
Wasatchian	55.8 - 50.3	Mexico (Baja California)	Ectocion sp., Meniscotherium priscum (15671)
Wasatchian	55.8 - 50.3	USA (Wyoming)	Ectocion osbornianus (15475 15476 15477 15491 15493 15503 15504 15505 15507 15510 15512 15514 15515 15516 15517 15518 15520 15522 15523 15524 15531 15532 15586 15587 15589 15590 15592 15682 15683 15695 15697 15699 15704 15729 15756 15792 15793 15912 15932 15943 16015 16020 16055 46636 46637 46639 46641 46643 46644 46647 46652 46657 46658 46659 46662 46664 46670 46672 46673 46681 46690 46691 46724 46726 46727 46756 46759 46761 46768 46770 46771 46772 46773 46774 46775 46776 46780 46782 46786 46790 46791 46792 46793 46795 46797 46798 46801 46802 46803 46805 46807 46809 46812 46813 46814 46817 46818 46819 46821 46822 46823 46824 46830 46831 46834 46836 46838) Ectocion osbornianus, Ectocion parvus (15759 15834) Ectocion osbornianus, Meniscotherium tapiacitum (15673) Ectocion parvus (15458 15647 15760 15771 15780 15789 15817) Ectocion ralstonensis (16008) Ectocion sp. (15996 16075) Ectocion superstes (186944) Meniscotherium chamense (15456 15457 15486 15643 15644 15665 15710 15711 15714 15839 15849 15850 15852 16064 16069 16072) Meniscotherium priscum (15455 15717) Meniscotherium robustum (15662 15724 15846 15890 186943) Meniscotherium sp. (15597 15842 15843 15889) Meniscotherium tapiacetum (118482) Meniscotherium tapiacitis (15721) Meniscotherium tapiacitum (15891) Meniscotherium terraerubae (15910)
Wasatchian	55.8 - 50.3	USA (Mississippi)	Ectocion sp. (15719)
Wasatchian	55.8 - 50.3	USA (Colorado)	Ectocion osbornianus (15352 15845 15887) Meniscotherium chamense (15272 15274 15290 15294 15402 15404) Meniscotherium tapiacitum (15314 15365 15368 15371 15372 15373 15374 15376 15379)
Wasatchian	55.8 - 50.3	USA (New Mexico)	Meniscotherium chamense (15430 15433 15439 15441 15443) Meniscotherium chamense, Meniscotherium tapiacitum (15663) Meniscotherium sp. (15447)
Early/Lower Eocene	55.8 - 48.6	USA (Wyoming)	Ectocion osbornianus (15679) Ectocion parvus (15591 154251 154253 154254 154255 154257 154258 154259 154262 154264 154265 154269 154270 154271 154272 154277 154287) Meniscotherium priscum (80580)
Wasatchian - Bridgerian	55.8 - 46.2	USA (Wyoming)	Meniscotherium chamense (15669)
Bridgerian	50.3 - 46.2	USA (Wyoming)	Ectocion superstes (16207)