The IVPP Hapalodectes: close to being a juvenile Limnocyon
The small molars and missing canines
of the IVPP V12385 specimen attributed to Hapalodectes (Fig 1) indicated a juvenile status for this taxon (Ting et al 2004). For years I overlooked the original indication, thinking instead that these elements were phylogenetically small and taphonomically missing.
Not so in this case. My bad.
Therefore, after years as a taxon
on the large reptile tree (LRT) the IVPP specimen (Fig 1) has been relegated to a red taxon in the LRT, associated with Limnocyon (Fig 1) and dropped from the taxon list.
Figure 1. Limnocyon and the Hapalodectes juvenile IVPP V12385 compared to scale. The smaller specimen has unerupted canines.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/limnocyon_juvenile588.jpg?w=243″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/limnocyon_juvenile588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-93111″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/limnocyon_juvenile588.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Limnocyon and the Hapalodectes juvenile IVPP V12385 compared to scale. The smaller specimen has unerupted canines. ” width=”584″ height=”721″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/limnocyon_juvenile588.jpg?w=584&h=721 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/limnocyon_juvenile588.jpg?w=121&h=150 121w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/limnocyon_juvenile588.jpg?w=243&h=300 243w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/limnocyon_juvenile588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 1. Limnocyon and the Hapalodectes juvenile IVPP V12385 compared to scale. The smaller specimen has unerupted canines.
Limnocyon verus
(Marsh 1872, Middle Eocene) is known from a complete skull and mandibles plus a few uncrushed post-cranial bones.
?Hapalodectes ?hetangensis
(Ting et al. 2004; 7 cm skull length; Early Eocene 50 mya; IVPP V 12385) was originally considered a tiny mesonychid.The premaxilla is largely missing. The canines are unerupted, thus this is a juvenile. Limnocyon is a similar adult from Middle Eocene North America. A land bridge then linked the two continents.
In the LRT these taxa nest within the Creodonta
a clade of carnivorous marsupials basal to Placental1 taxa – not close to Mesonyx in the Placental4 list.
References
Marsh OC 1872. Preliminary description of new Tertiary mammals. American Journal of Science and Art, 4: Part I: 122-128, Part 11-IV: 202-224.
Ting SY, Wang Y, Schiebout JA, Koch PL, Clyde WC, Bowen GJ and Wang Y 2004. New Early Eocene mammalian fossils from the Hengyang Basin, Hunan China. Bulletin of Carnegie Museum of Natural History 36: 291-301.
wiki/Limnocyonidae
wiki/Limnocyon
wiki/Hapalodectes
Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2025/06/05/the-ivpp-hapalodectes-close-to-being-a-juvenile-limnocyon/
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