Isohyaenodon

Isohyaenodon ("equal to Hyaenodon") is an extinct polyphyletic genus of hyainailourid hyaenodont mammal from the subfamily Hyainailourinae). Remains are known from early to middle Miocene deposits in Kenya, East Africa.

Isohyaenodon Temporal range: 20.0–13.6 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Early to Middle Miocene
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	†Hyaenodonta
Family:	†Hyainailouridae
Subfamily:	†Hyainailourinae
Tribe:	†Hyainailourini
Subtribe:	†Isohyaenodontina Lavrov, 1999[1]
Genus:	†Isohyaenodon Savage, 1965
Type species
†Isohyaenodon andrewsi Savage, 1965[2]
Species
†I. andrewsi (Savage, 1965) †I. zadoki (Savage, 1965)
Synonyms
synonyms of subtribe: Isohyaenodontini (Lavrov, 1999) synonyms of species: I. andrewsi: Hyaenodon andrewsi (Savage, 1965) I. zadoki: Isohyaenodon matthewi (Savage, 1965) Hyaenodon matthewi (Savage, 1965) Metapterodon zadoki (Savage, 1965) Pterodon zadoki (Van Valen, 1967)[3]

Description

Isohyaenodon is distinguished from Hyaenodon in having more robust molars, lower molars with a subequal paraconid and protoconid, and upper molars with a more well-developed protocone.^[4]

Classification and phylogeny

Taxonomy

Isohyaenodon was considered possibly the same genus as Leakitherium from the same region by Van Valen (1967), but subsequent studies have rejected this assumption.^[5][6]

Isohyaenodon pilgrimi Savage, 1965 was formerly assigned to this genus, but has been renamed Exiguodon pilgrimi.^[6]