Speothos

Speothos Temporal range: Pleistocene to Recent
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Canidae
Subfamily:	Caninae
Genus:	Speothos Lund, 1839
Type species
†Speothos pacivorus
Species
†Speothos pacivorus Speothos venaticus
Synonyms
Icticyon Lund, 1843 Abathmodon Lund, 1843

Speothos is a genus of canid found in Central and South America. The genus includes the living bush dog, Speothos venaticus, as well as an extinct Pleistocene species, Speothos pacivorus. Unusually, the fossil species was identified and named prior to the discovery of the extant species, with the result that the type species of Speothos is S. pacivorus.

References

• Berta A., 1984. The Pleistocene Bush Dog Speothos pacivorus (Canidae) from the Lagoa Santa Caves, Brazil Journal of Mammalogy 65(4):549-559.