genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of
omnivorous
An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Canidae
Canidae (; from Latin, ''canis'', "dog") is a family (biology), biological family of dog-like carnivorans, colloquially referred to as dogs, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a canid (). There are three subfamily, ...
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Blancan
The Blancan North American Stage on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology (NALMA), typically set from 4,750,000 to 1,806,000 years BP, a period of .NALMA classification, from about 4.9 to approximately 2.6 Ma. The
type species
In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen( ...
, ''F. avius'', was originally interpreted as a relative of the modern
crab-eating fox
The crab-eating fox (''Cerdocyon thous''), also known as the forest fox, wood fox, bushdog (not to be confused with the bush dog) or maikong, is an extant species of medium-sized canid endemic to the central part of South America since at lea ...
, and described as a species belonging to the genus ''Cerdocyon''. Ruiz-Ramoni ''et al.'' (2020) reinterpreted it as a vulpine canid related to North American species ''
Metalopex
''Metalopex'' is an extinct hypocarnivorous canid mammal similar to ''Vulpes'' endemic to Late Miocene North America. Its sister taxon is the extant ''Urocyon''; together, the two genera form a clade based on dentition. These same dental char ...
macconnelli'', and to the Eurasian genus ''
Nyctereutes
''Nyctereutes'' (Greek: ''nyx, nykt-'' "night" + ''ereutēs'' "wanderer") is a genus of canid which includes only two extant species both known as raccoon dogs; the common raccoon dog (''Nyctereutes procyonoides'') and the Japanese raccoon dog (' ...
''. This reinterpretation necessitated removal of ''"Cerdocyon" avius'' from the genus ''Cerdocyon'', and Ruiz-Ramoni ''et al.'' (2020) transferred it to the separate genus ''Ferrucyon''.
Taxonomy
''Cerdocyon'' was named by Hamilton-Smith (1839). It was assigned to Canidae by Hamilton-Smith (1839) and Carroll (1988).R. L. Carroll. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. W.H. Freeman and Company
''F. avius'' was about long. Fossils of the species have been found in
Baja California
Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...