Bathyopsis
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| Bathyopsis Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Bathyopsis fissidens skull | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Dinocerata |
| Family: | †Uintatheriidae |
| Subfamily: | †Uintatheriinae |
| Genus: | †Bathyopsis Cope, 1881 |
| Type species | |
| †Bathyopsis fissidens | |
| Species | |
| |
Bathyopsis, from Ancient Greek βαθύς (bathús), meaning "thick", and ὄψις (ópsis), meaning "face", is an extinct genus of dinocerates. The genus is known from Eocene North America.[1]
Crania
Bathyopsis is intermediate, morphologically, from the basal Prodinoceras and Probathyopsis (part of the family Prodinoceratidae) and the later dinocerate genera Tetheopsis and Eobasileus. Bathyopsis possesses small cranial horns, one pair being on the maxilla, another pair on the frontal, and a pair on the parietal.[2][3] The genus lacks any upper incisors, but has greatly enlarged canines.[4][3] Molar-wise, Bathyopsis is similar to Uintatherium in morphology, and the molars are less elongate than those in Probathyopsis.[5][6] The mandible bears a large flange, much like other uintatheriines.[4][7] The skull has been described as dolichocephalic.[3]
Postcrania
The limb structure is graviportal and digitigrade, indicating an increase in size compared to earlier dinocerates.[2][8]
