Blancan Carnivore Trigonictis 
11 
deposits in the east that have thus far proved intractable to dating. Voor- 
hies (1974) demonstrated the feasibility of this approach by recovery of 
two teeth of the Pliocene horse, Nannippus minor, from previously 
barren upland gravels near the Fall Line in Georgia. 
Revised Diagnosis. — A large galictine mustelid. Crowded upper and 
lower premolars. P- single rooted; P- (Figs. 2A, B) triangular in occlusal 
view with low, strong, conical protocone and well developed cingulum 
that forms a shelf extending from protocone to posterolingual base of 
metacone; small hypocone on cingulum; talon with shallow basin bor- 
dered anterolingually by protocone, posterolingually by hypocone and 
labially by anterior part of trigon; cingulum continuous around base of 
crown. M- three-rooted with reduced cingular shelf labial to metacone; 
tooth rectangular in occlusal outline with no distinct waist. Mandible 
(Figs. 3F, 4A) relatively short, robust, ventral margin straight. Premolars 
simple, lacking accessory cusps, cingulate, Pj double-rooted and set 
obliquely. Mj- trigonid longer than talonid; strong metaconid appressed 
to protoconid; talonid broad, basined; hypoconid moderately developed. 
Dental formula | y 5 5 . Separated from T. cookii by larger size (see 
Measurements and Tables 1 and 2). 
Description of eastern specimens. — In ANSP 11626, the type speci- 
men from Charles County, Maryland, the P- is slightly wider and more 
robust, with a broader talon and lesser anterior emargination between the 
parastyle and protocone than is seen in other P-’s of Trigonictis. The P- 
(KUVP 4604) from Rexroad 3 has an incipient cusp on the cingulum that 
is absent in the other specimens. Examination of a large number of 
Recent galictines shows variations of this type to be quite common, and 
they are not regarded as significant. The inferior border of the mandibu- 
lar ramus of the holotype is somewhat more curved in labial aspect than 
is seen in the other specimens, which have a straighter profile (cf. Fig. 
4A,B). The alveoli of Pj show that the tooth was double-rooted and set 
obliquely in the jaw. Pj is rather small, and there is a space between it and 
P 4 . The length of My (12.2 mm) falls near the lower end of the observed 
range (OR 12.0-14.9, N=24) of Trigonictis macrodon. The talonid of My 
is rather heavily worn; wear is also seen on the crests of the posterior 
faces of the metaconid and protoconid and obscures the notch between 
the protoconid and hypoconid. 
The left ramus from Smith Mill Run, North Carolina, USNM 306507 
(Figs. 3D, 5D) has all the postcanine teeth in place, little worn, and 
mostly well preserved. Pj is small, double-rooted and set obliquely 
between the canine and P 3 . P -3 is more typical for Trigonictis than is that 
of the type of T. macrodon, as it is more robust and slightly overlaps the 
adjacent teeth. All of the premolars have strong cingula, which com- 
pletely encircle the crowns of Pj and P^. My is relatively large, elongate. 
