Cetotheriidae

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Cetotheriidae
Temporal range: Chattian–Recent
Cetotherium.jpg
Cetotherium riabinini
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Parvorder: Mysticeti
Family: Cetotheriidae
Brandt 1872
Subfamilies and genera

See text

Synonyms

Neobalaenidae? Miller, 1923

Cetotheriidae is a family of baleen whales (parvorder Mysticeti). [1] The family is known to have existed from the Late Oligocene to the Early Pleistocene before going extinct. Although some phylogenetic studies conducted by Fordyce & Marx 2013 recovered the living pygmy right whale as a member of Cetotheriidae, making the pygmy right whale the only living cetotheriid, other authors either dispute this placement or recover Neobalaenidae as a sister group to Cetotheriidae.

Contents

Taxonomy

After its description by Brant in 1872, Cetotheriidae was used as a wastebasket taxon for baleen whales which were not assignable to extant whale families. [2]

Comparing the cranial and mandibular morphology of 23 taxa (including late archaeocetes and both fossil and extant mysticetes), [3] Bouetel & Muizon 2006 found Cetotheriidae in this traditional sense to be polyphyletic. Based on ten cranial characters, they also concluded that of the twelve included fossil baleen-bearing mysticetes, six formed a monophyletic group, Cetotheriidae sensu stricto . [4]

Several phylogenetic studies since Bouetel & Muizon 2006 support the monophyly of a small group of core Cetotheriidae sensu stricto, archaic mysticetes with a cranium that have "a long ascending process of the maxilla with anteriorly diverging lateral border that interdigitates with the frontal" and some other characters. [5] This group is limited to Cetotherium rathkii, Metopocetus durinasus, Mixocetus elysius, Herpetocetus scaldiensis, H. transatlanticus, H. bramblei, Nannocetus eremus, and Piscobalaena nana. [6] The remaining genera placed in the family are considered Cetotheriidae sensu lato and are often referred to as the 'cetotheres'. [5]

Bisconti, Lambert & Bosselaers 2013 considered the primitive 'cetothere' Joumocetus the most basal named taxon of their new superfamily Thalassotherii (Cetotheriidae s.l., Cetotheriidae s.s., Eschrichtiidae (gray whales) and Balaenopteridae (rorquals)) and suggested that the term "Cetotheriidae s.l." should be renamed "basal" or "stem thalassotherians". [7] Fordyce & Marx 2013 found that the pygmy right whale formed a well-supported clade with Eschrichtiidae and Balaenopteridae based on molecular data, and that, within 'cetotheres', it was most closely related to the herpetocetines ( Herpetocetus and Nannocetus ) [8] Bisconti et al. 2013, however, found, based on morphological data, it to be more closely related to Balaenidae (the bowhead and right whales), but added that additional specimens are expected to resolve these conflicting results within a few years. [9]

Classification of Cetotheriidae according to El Adli et al. (2014) [10] and the Fossilworks online database: [1]

Incertae sedis:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neobalaenidae</span> Family of mammals

Neobalaenidae is a family of baleen whales including the extant pygmy right whale. Although traditionally considered related to balaenids, recent studies by Fordyce and Marx (2013) and Ludovic Dutoit and colleagues (2023) have recovered the living pygmy right whale as a member of Cetotheriidae, making it the only extant cetotheriid. Not all authors agree with this placement.

<i>Cetotherium</i> Extinct genus of mammals

Cetotherium is an extinct genus of baleen whales from the family Cetotheriidae.

<i>Parietobalaena</i> Extinct genus of baleen whale

Parietobalaena is an extinct genus of baleen whale, belonging to the family Pelocetidae. Fossils are found in Miocene-aged marine strata in North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan, including the Temblor and Itahashi formations. Based on previous estimates of juvenile specimens, Tsai (2017) suggested a body size of 12-15 m for P. yamaokai, akin to that of the gray whale.

<i>Herpetocetus</i> Extinct genus of mammals

Herpetocetus is a genus of cetotheriid mysticete in the subfamily Herpetocetinae. Considerably smaller than modern baleen whales, Herpetocetus measured only 3 to 4 meters in length. Additionally, due to the structure of its jaw, it was unable to open its mouth as wide as modern baleen whales, making it incapable of lunge feeding.

Plesiocetus is a genus of extinct rorquals found worldwide. It has had a chequered taxonomic history, having served as a wastebasket genus for a handful of mysticete species.

Peripolocetus is a genus of balaenid baleen whale from the middle Miocene of Kern County, California.

<i>Cetotheriopsis</i> Extinct genus of cetaceans

Cetotheriopsis is a genus of extinct cetaceans of the family Cetotheriopsidae.

<i>Aglaocetus</i> Extinct genus of mammals

Aglaocetus is a genus of extinct baleen whales known from the Miocene of Patagonia, the US Eastern Seaboard, Japan and the Low Countries. It was once considered a member of Cetotheriidae along with many other putative cetotheres, but was recently recognized as representing a distinct family from true Cetotheriidae.

<i>Mixocetus</i> Extinct genus of mammals

Mixocetus is a genus of extinct baleen whale belonging to the family Tranatocetidae. It is known only from the late Miocene (Tortonian) of Los Angeles County, California.

Nannocetus is an extinct baleen whale belonging to the family Cetotheriidae.

Eomysticetidae is a family of extinct mysticetes belonging to Chaeomysticeti. It is one of two families in the basal chaeomysticete clade Eomysticetoidea.

<i>Tranatocetus</i> Extinct genus of mammals

Tranatocetus is an extinct genus of mysticete from the late Miocene (Tortonian) of Jutland, Denmark. The type and only species is Tranatocetus argillarius.

<i>Mithridatocetus</i> Extinct genus of whales

Mithridatocetus is a genus of cetotheriid mysticete in the subfamily Cetotheriinae. Known specimens have been found in marine deposits in Crimea, Ukraine, and the Russian Caucasus.

Kurdalagonus is a genus of cetotheriid mysticete in the subfamily Cetotheriinae from the Miocene of the Russian Caucasus.

Eucetotherium is a genus of cetotheriid mysticete from Miocene (Tortonian) marine deposits in the Russian Caucasus.

Vampalus is a genus of cetotheriid mysticete from Miocene (Tortonian) marine deposits in the Russian Caucasus. The type species, V. sayasanicus, is based on PIN 5341/1, a complete skeleton. The cetotheriid Eucetotherium helmersonii was mistakenly assigned to Vampalus by Tarasenko and Lopatin, who were unaware that Kellogg (1931) fixed "Cetotherium" helmersonii as the Eucetotherium type species.

Isocetus is an extinct genus of baleen whale belonging to the clade Thalassotherii. Remains have been found in middle Miocene marine deposits in Belgium.

Otradnocetus is an extinct genus of baleen whale from the middle Miocene of the Russian Caucasus.

<i>Atlanticetus</i> Extinct genus of whales

Atlanticetus is a genus of extinct baleen whales known from the Early Miocene of Italy and the US Eastern Seaboard.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Cetotheriidae". Fossilworks. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  2. ↑ Steeman 2010
  3. ↑ Bouetel & Muizon 2006 , p. 373
  4. ↑ Bouetel & Muizon 2006 , Abstract
  5. 1 2 Bisconti, Lambert & Bosselaers 2013 , p. 96
  6. ↑ Bisconti, Lambert & Bosselaers 2013 , p. 121
  7. ↑ Bisconti, Lambert & Bosselaers 2013 , p. 98
  8. ↑ Fordyce & Marx 2013 , p. 3
  9. ↑ Fordyce & Marx 2013 , pp. 122–123
  10. ↑ El Adli, Joseph J.; Deméré, Thomas A.; Boessenecker, Robert W. (2014). "Herpetocetus morrowi (Cetacea: Mysticeti), a new species of diminutive baleen whale from the Upper Pliocene (Piacenzian) of California, USA, with observations on the evolution and relationships of the Cetotheriidae". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 170 (2): 400–466. doi: 10.1111/zoj.12108 . hdl: 2027.42/102629 .
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Gol'din, Startsev & Krakhmalnaya 2013 , pp. 4–5
  12. ↑ Gol'din, Pavel; Startsev, Dmitry (2014). "Brandtocetus, a new genus of baleen whales (Cetacea, Cetotheriidae) from the late Miocene of Crimea, Ukraine". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 34 (2): 419–433. Bibcode:2014JVPal..34..419G. doi:10.1080/02724634.2013.799482. S2CID   84535132.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Bouetel & Muizon 2006 , p. 376
  14. ↑ Gol'din, P (2018). "New Paratethyan dwarf baleen whales mark the origin of cetotheres". PeerJ. 6: e5800. doi: 10.7717/peerj.5800 . PMC   6193469 . PMID   30356949.
  15. ↑ Gol'din, Pavel; Startsev, Dmitry (2017). "A systematic review of cetothere baleen whales (Cetacea, Cetotheriidae) from the Late Miocene of Crimea and Caucasus, with a new genus". Papers in Palaeontology. 3: 49–68. doi:10.1002/spp2.1066. S2CID   88690543.
  16. ↑ Tarasenko, K. K. (2014). "New Genera of Baleen Whales (Cetacea, Mammalia) from the Miocene of the Northern Caucasus and Ciscaucasia: 3. Zygiocetus gen. nov. (Middle Sarmatian, Adygea)". Paleontological Journal. 48 (5): 551–562. doi:10.1134/S0031030114050116. S2CID   84342193.
  17. ↑ Bisconti, Michelangelo (2015). "Anatomy of a new cetotheriid genus and species from the Miocene of Herentals, Belgium, and the phylogenetic and palaeobiogeographical relationships of Cetotheriidae s.s. (Mammalia, Cetacea, Mysticeti)". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 13 (5): 377–395. doi:10.1080/14772019.2014.890136. S2CID   84554891.
  18. ↑ Felix G. Marx; Klaas Post; Mark Bosselaers; Dirk K. Munsterman (2019). "A large Late Miocene cetotheriid (Cetacea, Mysticeti) from the Netherlands clarifies the status of Tranatocetidae". PeerJ. 7: e6426. doi: 10.7717/peerj.6426 . PMC   6377596 . PMID   30783574.

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