A New Doglike Carnivore, Genus Cynarctus, From the Clarendonian, Pliocene, of Texas

A short scientific paper describes a newly identified doglike carnivore from Early Pliocene Clarendonian deposits in Texas, based on a right maxilla designated as holotype and a fragmentary right mandible as referred material. It provides detailed dental measurements and a formal diagnosis noting absence of an accessory cusp on the fourth upper premolar and lack of a lingual cingulum on the first upper molar. The authors compare the material with related taxa, argue for placement in the Canidae, discuss possible sexual size dimorphism, and interpret rounded tooth cusps as indicating an unusually frugivorous diet for a canid.