| Atocetus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Skull of A. iquensis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | † Kentriodontidae |
| Subfamily: | † Pithanodelphininae |
| Genus: | † Atocetus De Muizon 1988 |
| Species | |
| |
Atocetus is an extinct genus of pontoporiid dolphin found in Miocene-age marine deposits in Peru and California. [1]
The type species, Atocetus iquensis, is known from Serravallian-age strata of the Pisco Formation of Peru, [2] while A. nasalis is known from Tortonian-age marine deposits of the Modelo Formation in California. [3] Barnes (1985) originally described the latter as a species of Pithanodelphis , but it was eventually transferred to Atocetus by Muizon (1988). The Miocene delphinidan "Champsodelphis" fuchsii from marine deposits in Austria was initially tentatively referred to Atocetus based on the discovery of partial skeletons from the Carpathian region with earbones similar to those of Atocetus but was eventually reassigned to Kentriodon following the discovery of additional earbones from Austria and Romania. [4] [5]
Although Atocetus and other pithanodelphinines are usually assigned to Kentriodontidae, the cladistic analysis of Lambert et al. (2017) showed that Atocetus and Pithanodelphis form a clade with Tagicetus and Lophocetus that is not only phylogenetically more derived than other kentriodontids but is also phylogenetically intermediate between the baiji and members of Inioidea and Phocoenidae. [6] However, a subsequent cladistic analysis by Post et al. (2017) recovers Atocetus as a member of Pontoporiidae, which includes the franciscana. [7]
Lipotidae is a family of river dolphins containing the possibly extinct baiji of China and the fossil genus Parapontoporia from the Late Miocene and Pliocene of the Pacific coast of North America. The genus Prolipotes, which is based on a mandible fragment from Neogene coastal deposits in Guangxi, China, has been classified as an extinct relative of the baiji, but is dubious. The oldest known member of the family is Eolipotes from the Late Miocene of Japan.
Platanistidae is a family of river dolphins containing the extant Ganges river dolphin and Indus river dolphin but also extinct relatives from freshwater and marine deposits in the Neogene.
Squalodon is an extinct genus of whales of the Oligocene and Miocene epochs, belonging to the family Squalodontidae. Named by Jean-Pierre Sylvestre de Grateloup in 1840, it was originally believed to be an iguanodontid dinosaur but has since been reclassified. The name Squalodon comes from Squalus, a genus of shark. As a result, its name means "shark tooth". Its closest modern relative is the South Asian river dolphin.
Kentriodon is an extinct genus of toothed whale related to modern-day dolphins. Fossils have been found in North America, Europe and Japan. Several species have been described.
Macrodelphinus is an extinct genus of primitive odontocete known from Early Miocene marine deposits in California.
Kentriodontidae is an extinct family of odontocete whales related to modern dolphins. The Kentriodontidae lived from the Oligocene to the Pliocene before going extinct.
The Pisco Formation is a geologic formation located in Peru, on the southern coastal desert of Ica and Arequipa. The approximately 640 metres (2,100 ft) thick formation was deposited in the Pisco Basin, spanning an age from the Late Miocene up to the Early Pliocene, roughly from 9.6 to 4.5 Ma. The tuffaceous sandstones, diatomaceous siltstones, conglomerates and dolomites were deposited in a lagoonal to near-shore environment, in bays similar to other Pacific South American formations as the Bahía Inglesa and Coquimbo Formations of Chile.
Macrokentriodon is an extinct genus of giant dolphin once assigned to the paraphyletic/polyphyletic family Kentriodontidae. Remains have been found in the late Miocene (Serravallian) Choptank Formation of United States.
Liolithax is an extinct genus of dolphin from the Middle Miocene (Serravallian) Temblor Formation of California.
Lophocetus is an extinct genus of dolphin belonging to the clade Delphinida that is known from late Miocene (Tortonian) marine deposits in California and Maryland. Although usually placed in Kentriodontidae, recent studies have found it only distantly related to Kentriodon.
Squaloziphius is an extinct genus of odontocete cetacean from the Early Miocene (Aquitanian) aged marine deposits in Washington state.
Phoberodon is a genus of archaic odontocete cetacean from the Early Miocene (Burdigalian) of Patagonia, Argentina.
Brachydelphis is a genus of pontoporiid known from the Late Miocene Pisco Formation of Peru and the Bahía Inglesa Formation of Chile.
Hadrodelphis is an extinct genus of dolphin once assigned to the paraphyletic/polyphyletic family Kentriodontidae. Remains have been found in the middle Miocene (Langhian) Calvert Formation of United States.
Tagicetus is an extinct genus of dolphin belonging to the polyphyletic family Kentriodontidae.
Chilcacetus is an extinct genus of primitive odontocete known from Early Miocene (Aquitanian) of Peru. Fossils were found in and named after the Chilcatay Formation of the Pisco Basin.
Inticetus is an extinct genus of Early Miocene odontocete from the Chilcatay Formation, Pisco Basin, Peru.
Pisco Basin is a sedimentary basin extending over 300 kilometres (190 mi) in southwestern Peru. The basin has a 2 kilometres (6,600 ft) thick sedimentary fill, which is about half the thickness of more northern foreland basins in Peru.
Spheniscus muizoni is an extinct species of banded penguins that lived during the early Late Miocene in what is now Peru, South America. The species, the earliest member of the extant genus, was described in 2007 by Ursula B. Göhlich based on fossils found in the fossiliferous Pisco Formation of the Pisco Basin, southwestern Peru.
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