Pachycynodon Schlosser, 1888

Bonis, Louis de, Gardin, Axelle & Blondel, Cécile, 2019, Carnivora from the early Oligocene of the ‘ Phosphorites du Quercy’ in southwestern France, Geodiversitas 41 (15), pp. 601-621 : 604

Genus Pachycynodon Schlosser, 1888

TYPE SPECIES. — Pachycynodon crassirostris Schlosser, 1888 by original designation.

DESCRIPTION

Schlosser created the genus Pachycynodon for a P4 and M1 from the Quercy phosphorites (Schlosser 1988: pl. IX, fig. 2, 7, 9 and pl. IX, fig. 4 respectively) without any biostratigraphic context. He thought that these specimens were conspecific with Cynodictis crassirostris Filhol, 1876 ( 1876: figs 67, 69 and 72) but, in fact the Filhol’s specimen, a mandible with c, p3, m1-m2, belongs to the genus Amphicynodon . Thus, the name crassirostris being conserved, the type species of the genus is Pachycynodon crassirostris . Later, several species were added to the genus and to the Amphicynodontidae , forming a group with robust dentition (more robust than that of Amphicynodon ), mandible often deep, p4 as high or higher than the protoconid of m1, massive cuspids of the trigonid of m1, postmetaconid cristid sloping very obliquely toward the preentocristid, paraconid often present in m2. The robust P4 has a short metastyle and large plateau-like protocone. There is a trend in M1 toward an almost quadratic outline, without paraconule and disto-lingual metaconule and with a large cingulum around surrounding the protocone. The M2 is more or less reduced. The muzzle is elongated.