North American Leporinae (Mammalia: Lagomorpha) from late Miocene (Clarendonian) to latest Pliocene (Blancan)

Abstract

The subfamily Leporinae probably had its origin from the Archaeolaginae in the North American Clarendonian (late Miocene) and include the following genera and species from late Miocene Clarendonian to latest Pliocene Blancan: Alilepus hibbardi, sp. nov., A. vagus, A. wilsoni, sp. nov., Pratilepus kansasensis, Aluralagus bensonensis, A. virginiae, Nekrolagus progressas, Aztlanolagus agilis, Sylvilagus hibbardi, Lepus, cf. L. californiens, Pronotolagus apachensis, gen. nov., Notolagus velox, N. lepusculus, and Paranotolagus complicatus. Two specimens of Hypolagus parviplicatus from the late Barstovian of Saskatchewan have two shallow grooves in the enamel of the lingual side of P₃ that may be incipient anterointernal and posterointernal reentrants, suggesting a precursor to the ancestry of the Leporinae.