Vulpini

Vulpini is a tribe which represents the fox-like taxon of the subfamily Caninae (the canines), and is sister to the dog-like tribe Canini.^[2] It comprises the 15 extant and 21 extinct species found on all continents.

Vulpins
Clockwise from top: red fox, bat-eared fox, tanuki
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Canidae
Subfamily:	Caninae
Tribe:	Vulpini Hemprich and Ehrenberg, 1832
Genera[1]
†Ferrucyon[1] †Metalopex Tedford, Wang, & Taylor 2008[2] Nyctereutes Otocyon †Prototocyon Vulpes

Genera

Image	Genus	Species
	Nyctereutes Temminck, 1838	Nyctereutes procyonoides Nyctereutes viverrinus †Nyctereutes abdeslami †Nyctereutes donnezani †Nyctereutes lockwoodi †Nyctereutes megamastoides †Nyctereutes sinensis †Nyctereutes tingi †Nyctereutes vinetorum
	Otocyon S. Müller, 1835	Otocyon megalotis
	Vulpes Garsault, 1764	Vulpes bengalensis Vulpes cana Vulpes chama Vulpes corsac Vulpes ferrilata Vulpes lagopus Vulpes macrotis Vulpes pallida Vulpes rueppellii Vulpes velox Vulpes vulpes Vulpes zerda †Vulpes hassani †Vulpes praeglacialis †Vulpes qiuzhudingi †Vulpes riffautae †Vulpes rooki †Vulpes skinneri †Vulpes stenognathus
	†Ferrucyon Ruiz-Ramoni et al., 2020	†Ferrucyon avius
	†Metalopex S. Müller, 1835	†Metalopex bakeri Tedford et al. 2009 †Metalopex macconnelli Tedford et al. 2009 †Metalopex merriami Tedford and Wang, 2008
	†Prototocyon Pohle, 1928	†Prototocyon curvipalatus †Prototocyon recki

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of Carnivora in general and Canidae in particular correlates with various diagnostic features of the dentition and basicranium. Regarding Vulpini, Tedford has remarked:

These small canids are distinguished from all other Caninae in possessing a wide paroccipital process that is broadly sutured to the posterior surface of the bulla with a short and laterally turned free tip that barely extends below the body of the process. The presence of a metaconule and postprotocrista on M2 of vulpines represents the culmination of a reversal that began with late Leptocyon species to resume the form of the primitive canine M2.

— Richard H. Tedford^[2]

The cladogram below is based on the phylogeny of Lindblad-Toh (2005)^[3] modified to incorporate recent findings on Vulpes.^[4]

Vulpini	Otocyon megalotis (bat-eared fox) Nyctereutes (raccoon dogs) Vulpes Vulpes zerda (fennec fox) Vulpes cana (Blanford's fox) Vulpes chama (Cape fox) Vulpes vulpes (red fox) Vulpes rueppellii (Ruppell's fox) Vulpes corsac (corsac fox) Vulpes ferrilata (Tibetan sand fox) Vulpes macrotis (kit fox) Vulpes lagopus (Arctic fox)