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Though dental measurements are frequently used to diagnose the fossil species of Merycoidodontoidea and other extinct artiodactyls, the effective diagnosis of modern artiodactyl taxa via dental measurements has not been extensively tested. Our study finds that variation in artiodactyl dentition is generally higher than in primates, carnivores, rodents and even elephants, with molar coefficients of variation ranging up to 18% (Camelus bactrianus), and that dental measurements poorly diagnose modern artiodactyls via discriminant function analysis, adjusted t-tests on coefficients of variation, or finite mixture analysis. The higher-than-expected coefficients of variation for artiodactyls imply that some fossil taxa may be over-split, but the low utility of dental measurements in separating sympatric species of duikers also suggests that dental measurements are not effective for fully diagnosing certain artiodactyl groups. We advocate a systematic revision of Merycoidodontoidea and many other fossil artiodactyl groups with lower emphasis on dental measurements and better accounting for the ways selenodont dentition varies. Meaghan M. Emery-Wetherell. 400 E University Way, Department of Geological Sciences, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington 98926, USA. meaghan.wetherell@gmail.com Edward Byrd Davis.1275 E 13th St, 100 Cascade, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA; and 1680 E 15th Ave, Museum of Natural and Cultural History, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, USA. edavis@uoregon.edu

Dental measurements do not diagnose modern artiodactyl species: Implications for the systematics of Merycoidodontoidea