Biology:Nyctereutes
Nyctereutes (Ancient Greek: νύξ, νυκτ- [nýx, nykt-] 'night' + ἐρέυτης [eréutēs] 'wanderer') is a genus of Asian canid with two extant species, the raccoon dogs: the common raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and the Japanese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes viverrinus).[1]
Nyctereutes entered the fossil record 5.5 million years ago (Mya) in northern China. It was one of the earliest canines in the Old World. All but two species became extinct before the end of the Pleistocene. A study suggests that the evolution of Nyctereutes was influenced by environmental and climatic changes, such as the expansion and contraction of forests and the fluctuations of temperature and precipitation.[2] The two extant species diverged around 0.5 million years ago, which is before the last glacial period of the Pleistocene.[3]
Characteristics
They are typically recognized by their short snouts, round crania and the shaping of their molars, specifically the ratio between M1 and M2. Nyctereutes is considered mainly an opportunistic carnivore, feeding on small mammals, fish, birds, and insects, alongside occasional plants, specifically roots. Their diet is mostly influenced by environmental factors.[2] Japanese raccoon dogs are considered distinct from the mainland species because of the larger skull size found in Russian and Hokkaido raccoon dogs[4] and molecular divergence.[3]
Species
Extant species
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common raccoon dog
|
Nyctereutes procyonoides (Gray, 1834) Four subspecies
|
Mongolia, Russian Far East, China, Korea, Vietnam; introduced to Europe
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Japanese raccoon dog
|
Nyctereutes viverrinus (Temminck, 1838) |
Japan | Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
Fossil species
- †Nyctereutes abdeslami 3.6—1.8 Mya (Morocco)[5]
- †Nyctereutes donnezani 9.0—3.4 Mya (Eastern Europe, Spain)
- †Nyctereutes lockwoodi 3.42—3.2 Mya (Ethiopia)[6]
- †Nyctereutes megamastoides (Europe)[2]
- †Nyctereutes sinensis 3.6 Mya—781,000 years ago (Eastern Asia)[7]
- †Nyctereutes tingi[2]
- †Nyctereutes urartuensis[8]
References
- ↑ Wozencraft, W.C. (2005). "Genus Nyctereutes". in Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 532–628. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/biology/resources/msw3/browse.asp?id=14000824.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Farjand, Arya; Zhang, Zhao-Qun; Liu, Wen-Hui; Jiao, Chen-Hui; Wang, Li-Hua (June 2021). "The evolution of Nyctereutes (Carnivora: Canidae) in the Nihewan Basin, Hebei, northern China". Palaeoworld 30 (2): 373–381. doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2020.07.002.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hong, YoonJee; Lee, Hang; Kim, Kyung Seok; Min, Mi-Sook (September 2020). "Phylogenetic relationships between different raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) populations based on four nuclear and Y genes". Genes & Genomics 42 (9): 1075–1085. doi:10.1007/s13258-020-00972-2.
- ↑ Kim, Sang-In; Oshida, Tatsuo; Lee, Hang; Min, Mi-Sook; Kimura, Junpei (2015). "Evolutionary and Biogeographical implications of variation in skull morphology of raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides, Mammalia: Carnivora)". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 116 (1): 856–872. doi:10.1111/bij.12629.
- ↑ Paleobiology Database: ''Nyctereutes abdeslami basic info.
- ↑ Geraads, D. et al. (2010). "Nyctereutes lockwoodi, n. sp., a new canid (Carnivora: Mammalia) from the middle Pliocene of Dikika, Lower Awash, Ethiopia". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30 (2): 981–987. doi:10.1080/02724631003758326. Bibcode: 2010JVPal..30..981G.
- ↑ Paleobiology Database: ''Nyctereutes sinensis basic info.
- ↑ Bartolini-Lucenti, S.; Meyer, M.; Frosali, S.; Madurell-Malapeira, J.; Liu, W.; Costeur, L.; Becker, D.; Vasilyan, D. (2026). "Systematics and palaeoneurology of a new Pliocene raccoon dog (Canidae, Nyctereutes) from Jradzor (Armenia)". Swiss Journal of Palaeontology 145: 213–249. doi:10.3897/sjp.145.180388.
<ref> tag with name "Temminck1838" defined in <references> is not used in prior text.Further reading
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Wikispecies has information related to Nyctereutes |
- Wayne, Robert K. (June 1993). "Molecular evolution of the dog family". Trends in Genetics 9 (6): 218–224. doi:10.1016/0168-9525(93)90122-x. PMID 8337763.
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