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An Analysis of Anchitherine Equids Across the Eocene–Oligocene Boundary in the White River Group of the Western Great Plains

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An Analysis of Anchitherine Equids Across the Eocene–Oligocene Boundary in the White River Group of the Western Great Plains University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Dissertations & Theses in Earth and Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Department Atmospheric Sciences of 2010 An Analysis of Anchitherine Equids Across the Eocene–Oligocene Boundary in the White River Group of the Western Great Plains David M. Masciale University of Nebraska at Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geoscidiss Part of the Geology Commons, Paleobiology Commons, and the Paleontology Commons Masciale, David M., "An Analysis of Anchitherine Equids Across the Eocene–Oligocene Boundary in the White River Group of the Western Great Plains" (2010). Dissertations & Theses in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. 11. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geoscidiss/11 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations & Theses in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. AN ANALYSIS OF ANCHITHERINE EQUIDS ACROSS THE EOCENE– OLIGOCENE BOUNDARY IN THE WHITE RIVER GROUP OF THE WESTERN GREAT PLAINS by David M. Masciale A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science Major: Geosciences Under the Supervision of Professors Ross Secord and Robert M. Hunt, Jr. Lincoln, NE April, 2010 AN ANALYSIS OF ANCHITHERINE EQUIDS ACROSS THE EOCENE– OLIGOCENE BOUNDARY IN THE WHITE RIVER GROUP OF THE WESTERN GREAT PLAINS David M. Masciale, M.S. University of Nebraska, 2010 Advisers: Ross Secord and Robert M. Hunt, Jr. Anchitherine horses are a subfamily of equids that are abundantly represented in the late Eocene and early Oligocene of North America. This group has been heavily studied in the past, but important questions still remain. Some studies have focused on the Eocene-Oligocene boundary and have used these equids along with other taxa to study mammalian diet and climate change through this interval. I reexamine two anchitherine genera, Mesohippus and Miohippus, from stratigraphic sequences of the White River Group in western Nebraska and southwestern South Dakota. These sequences span the Chadronian (late Eocene), Orellan (early Oligocene), and Whitneyan (early Oligocene) North American land-mammal ages. The most recent revision of these genera was done by Prothero and Shubin (1989). I review the characters used for taxonomic identification. This includes characters such as the hypostyle, the articular facet on the third metatarsal, and dental dimensions. To avoid possible biases caused by combining specimens from different stratigraphic levels, specimens were separated by location and stratigraphic level. The length and width of cheek teeth, and tooth rows were measured on 488 specimens. First molar area serves as a proxy for body mass in horses and other mammals, and can be useful for distinguishing among species. Results indicate that the characters used by Prothero and Shubin were highly variable in anchitherine horses and are not useful for distinguishing between these genera. The development of the articular facet on the third metatarsal may be a function of body size and therefore may be of no more utility than first molar area. Variability in first molar area suggests the presence of three species in the medial and late Chadronian, two species in the Orellan, and at least two species in the Whitneyan. Due to a lack of objective criteria separating Mesohippus from Miohippus, I recommend synonymy of these genera, making Mesohippus a junior subjective synonym. iv Copyright 2010 by Masciale, David M. All rights reserved. v DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my wife, Julie, who has been there for me throughout my geology education at UNL, and to my parents, John and Elaine Masciale, who encouraged me to follow my dreams. I would also like to thank the rest of my family and friends who have encouraged me through graduate school. Their support and encouragement was a valuable aid. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER TITLE/SECTION PG. Preface .................................................................................................................................. i Title Page ......................................................................................... i Abstract ........................................................................................... ii Copyright ....................................................................................... iv Dedication ........................................................................................v Table of Contents ........................................................................... vi List of Figures .............................................................................. viii List of Tables ....................................................................................x 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 2 Materials and Methods ...................................................................................................2 Statistical Analysis ...........................................................................4 Species Classification .......................................................................4 Institutional Abbreviations ...............................................................5 3 Background ....................................................................................................................5 Lithostratigraphy ..............................................................................5 Tephrostratigraphy .........................................................................12 Biostratigraphy ...............................................................................13 Paleoclimate and Paleoenvironment ..............................................17 4 Results ..........................................................................................................................20 vii Statistical Analysis .........................................................................20 5 Systematic Paleontology ..............................................................................................27 Miohippus ......................................................................................27 Miohippus celer .............................................................................33 Miohippus bairdii ...........................................................................35 Miohippus grandis .........................................................................38 Miohippus barbouri .......................................................................39 6 Discussion ....................................................................................................................42 Implications for Equid Evolution ...................................................42 7 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................44 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................45 Literature Cited ..................................................................................................................46 Appendices .........................................................................................................................60 A. Upper Cheek Tooth Measurements ........................................60 B. Lower Cheek Tooth Measurements ........................................68 C. Preorbital Fossa Measurements ..............................................75 D. Metatarsal III Measurements .................................................77 viii LIST OF FIGURES CHAPTER FIGURE PG. 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Figure 1 ............................................................................................2 2 Materials and Methods ...................................................................................................2 Figure 2 ............................................................................................3 3 Background ....................................................................................................................5 Figure 3 ............................................................................................8 Figure 4 ..........................................................................................11 Figure 5 ..........................................................................................14 4 Results ..........................................................................................................................20 Figure 6 ..........................................................................................20 Figure 7 ..........................................................................................21 Figure 8..........................................................................................22 Figure 9..........................................................................................23 Figure 10........................................................................................24
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