Dispersal of the Canini (Mammalia, Canidae: Caninae) across Eurasia during the Late Miocene to Early Pleistocene

An analysis of the taxonomy and distribution of the Mio–Pliocene and Pleistocene Eucyon-like and Canis-like canids of the tribe Canini of Eurasia was performed, with a description of several fossils from the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene of Asia. The changes in the assemblages of the Canini generally coincided with the most significant Eurasian faunal turnovers, but the European and Asian diversities of the Canini peaked asynchronously. In the Late Miocene, a wide expansion of the genus Eucyon to the OldWorld took place, being designated here as the ‘‘Eucyon event’’. The diversity of Eucyon-like Canini peaked at the beginning of the Early Pliocene in Asia and at the end of the Early Pliocene in Europe. The wolf-sized species of the Canis group made their first appearance in Eurasia in the Middle Pliocene, (the ‘‘Canis event’’). The peak of their diversity occurred in the Late Pliocene in Asia and at the beginning of the Early Pleistocene in Europe. At the end of the Pliocene, Eucyon and Eucyon-like canids completely went extinct in Eurasia. The diversity of the Canis group appreciably decreased by the end of the Early to Middle Pleistocene being limited by the occurrence of small wolves of the Canis mosbachensis–Canis variabilis group and large hypercarnivorous Canis (Xenocyon) lycaonoides in Eurasia. The true gray wolves made their appearance at the end of the Middle Pleistocene at about 0.5–0.3 Ma.