Taxonomic and systematic revisions to the North American Nimravidae (Mammalia, Carnivora).

ABSTRACT: The Nimravidae is a family of extinct carnivores commonly referred to as "false saber-tooth cats." Since their initial discovery, they have prompted difficulty in taxonomic assignments and number of valid species. Past revisions have only examined a handful of genera, while recent advances in cladistic and morphometric analyses have granted us additional avenues to answering questions regarding our understanding of valid nimravid taxa and their phylogenetic relationships. To resolve issues of specific validity, the phylogenetic species concept (PSC) was utilized to maintain consistency in diagnosing valid species, while simultaneously employing character and linear morphometric analyses for confirming the validity of taxa. Determined valid species and taxonomically informative characters w

SUBMITTER: Barrett PZ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4756750 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature