Magerictis

Magerictis; Temporal range: Middle Miocene
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Ailuridae
Subfamily:	Ailurinae
Genus:	†Magerictis; Ginsburg, Morales, Soria and Herraez, 1997
Type species
	†Magerictis imperialenis; Ginsburg, Morales, Soria and Herraez, 1997

Magerictis is a fossil genus of ailurid with a single species Magerictis imperialenis (sometimes spelled Magerictis imperialis), which was originally known from a single m2 tooth. Several more specimens were later found, but were undescribed as of 2014.^[1]^[2]

Taxonomy & Evolution

Magerictis is placed in the subfamily Ailurinae, though its relationship to other genera and species in that subfamily are still unknown. It is considered to have likely evolved from a species of Amphictis.^[2]

Description

Magerictics imperialenis is estimated to have been slightly smaller than the closely related Parailurus and similar in size to the extant relative Ailurus. It differs from both genera in that the m2 was "completely basined with all cuspids, including that of the trigonid, being located at the tooth margin, which implies that protoconid and metaconid are not connected" per Morlo & Peigne 2014. The sole described specimen was found at a site near Madrid of early Miocene age.^[2]

References

^ Ginsburg, Léonard; Morales, Jorge; Soria, Dolores; Herraez, Esther (1997). "Découverte d'une forme ancestrale du Petit Panda dans le Miocène moyen de Madrid (Espagne)" [Discovery of an ancestor of the lesser panda in the Middle Miocene of Madrid (Spain)]. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences - Series IIA - Earth and Planetary Science (in French). 325 (6): 447–451. Bibcode:1997CRASE.325..447G. doi:10.1016/S1251-8050(97)81163-9. ISSN 1251-8050.
^ ^a ^b ^c Morlo, Michael; Peigné, Stéphane (2010). "Molecular and morphological evidence for Ailuridae and a review of its genera". Carnivoran Evolution. pp. 119–120. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139193436.005. ISBN 9780521515290.