- Source: Listriodon
Listriodon is an extinct genus of pig-like animals that lived in Eurasia during the Miocene.
Description
Listriodon species were generally small in size. In morphology, they show many similarities with peccaries rather than modern pigs.
The lophodont teeth of Listriodon indicate that it was mostly, if not strictly, herbivorous. Peculiarly, their teeth resemble those of perissodactyls such as horses more than they do that of ruminants. This was the case because unlike ruminants (and much like perissodactyls), pigs lack a complex four-chambered stomach and therefore had to rely on their teeth to break down grasses and herbs.
Species
Many species of Listriodon have been named over the years, to the point that the genus became a wastebasket taxon. Over the years, many species have been moved into new genera, such as Kubanochoerus, Bunolistriodon and Lopholistriodon. Some species were found to be synonymous with others, such as Listriodon theobaldi and Listriodon pentapotamiae representing different genders of a single species.
Prothero (2021) lists four valid species:
Listriodon splendens
Listriodon pentapotamiae
Listriodon raetamanensis
Listriodon bartuensis
= Species now placed in Bunolistriodon
=Listriodon akatikubas
Listriodon guptai
Listriodon intermedius
Listriodon latidens
Listriodon lockharti
Listriodon meidamon
= Species now placed in Lopholistriodon
=Listriodon juba
= Species now placed in Kubanochoerus
=Listriodon robustus
= Species synonymous with L. splendens
=Listriodon aragoniensis
Listriodon mongoliensis
Listriodon lishanensis
Listriodon xinanensis
= Species synonymous with L. pentapotamiae
=Listriodon theobaldi
Palaeoecology
Analysis of L. cf. L. splendens and L. aff. L. latidens suggests that the former was a more specialised folivore than the latter.
External links
Listriodon at Fossilworks