The Tarsus of Early Eocene Artiodactyls

The tarsi of two genera of early Eocene artiodactyls, Bunophorus and Diacodexis, are described. Both possess only four toes, with digits II and V reduced to the status of dew claws. It is suggested that in some lineages of artiodactyls the evolutionary tendency to reduce digits II and V was reversed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of mammalogy Vol. 49; no. 2; pp. 297 - 302
Main Author:	Guthrie, Daniel A.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England American Society of Mammalogists 01-05-1968
Subjects:	Animals Artiodactyla - anatomy & histology Bones Claws Dew Flat surfaces Foot bones Genera Hindlimb - anatomy & histology Mammalogy Tarsus Toes
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	The tarsi of two genera of early Eocene artiodactyls, Bunophorus and Diacodexis, are described. Both possess only four toes, with digits II and V reduced to the status of dew claws. It is suggested that in some lineages of artiodactyls the evolutionary tendency to reduce digits II and V was reversed and that these toes were enlarged, resulting in forms with four fully functional toes by the Oligocene.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0022-2372 1545-1542
DOI:	10.2307/1377987