Canis lepophagus

Kurten proposed that the Blancan C. lepophagus derived from smaller Miocene Canis species in North America. It then became widespread across Eurasia where it was either identical to, or closely related with, C. arnensis of Europe.[3]^: p241[4][5] Wang proposed a linear progression from Eucyon davisi to C. lepophagus to the coyote.[2]^: p58

Johnston describes C. lepophagus as having a more slender skull and skeleton than in the modern coyote.[1]^: 385 Nowak found that the early populations had small, delicate and narrowly proportioned skulls that resemble small coyotes and appear to be ancestral to C. latrans.[3]^: p241 Johnson noted that some specimens found in Cita Canyon, Texas had larger, broader skulls,[1] and along with other fragments Nowak suggested that these were evolving into wolves.[3]^: p241[6]

Tedford disagreed with previous authors and found that its cranio-dental morphology lacked some characteristics that are shared by C. lupus and C. latrans, and therefore there was not a close relationship but it did suggest C. lepophagus was the ancestor of both wolves and coyotes.[7]^: p119 Additionally, C. edwardii, C. latrans and C. aureus form together a small clade and because C. edwardii appeared earliest spanning the mid-Blancan (late Pliocene) to the close of the Irvingtonian (late Pleistocene) C. edwardii is proposed as the descendant of C. lepophagus and the ancestor of the coyote and the golden jackal.[2]^: p58[7]^{: p175, 180}