Leptomerycinae

Leptomerycinae is an extinct subfamily within the ruminant family Leptomerycidae. It contains four genera, Leptomeryx, Pronodens, Pseudoparablastomeryx, and Santuccimeryx, which lived in North America during the Middle Eocene to Middle Miocene.^[1] The Leptomerycinae were primitive and ancient ruminants, resembling small deer, musk deer, or chevrotains.

Leptomerycinae Temporal range: Middle Eocene–Middle Miocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	†Leptomerycidae
Subfamily:	†Leptomerycinae Zittel, 1893
Genera
Leptomeryx Pronodens Pseudoparablastomeryx Santuccimeryx
Range of Leptomerycinae based on fossil record

The first skull attributed to the genus Santuccimeryx, described as a potential link between Leptomeryx and Pseudoparablastomeryx, was discovered at Badlands National Park in 2016 by a park intern. The skull, initially assigned to Leptomeryx elissae, was collected from the park's Oligocene-age Brule Formation and is the most complete specimen of Leptomeryx elissae known to date. The presence of both dentary and skull material revealed significant differences from the Leptomeryx genus however, which prompted the taxonomical overhaul of the subfamily and led to L. elissae being reclassified into a new genus: Santuccimeryx elissae.^[2]