Mirocetus

Mirocetus Temporal range: Late Oligocene, 28.4–23.0  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Life restoration
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Infraorder:	Cetacea
Family:	† Xenorophidae
Genus:	† Mirocetus Mchedlidze, 1970
Species:	†M. riabinini
Binomial name
†Mirocetus riabinini Mchedlidze, 1970

Mirocetus is a genus of archaic odontocete from the late Oligocene (Chattian) of Azerbaijan. Like many other primitive odontocetes, its classification has been fluid since its description.

Classification

Mirocetus riabinini is based on a skull from late Oligocene (Chattian) deposits in Azerbaijan. Although originally assigned to Patriocetidae in the original description, Mchelidze later assigned it to the mysticete family Aetiocetidae. ^[1] Fordyce (1981, 2002) treated Mirocetus as Odontoceti incertae sedis in recognition of its primitiveness, and a 2015 paper recognized the genus as sufficiently distinct from other basal odontocete families to warrant its own family, Mirocetidae. ^[2] However, a cladistic analysis of Olympicetus by Velez-Juarbe recovers Mirocetus as a member of Xenorophidae, rendering Mirocetidae a synonym of Xenorophidae. ^{[3] [4]}

References

1. G. A. Mchedlidze. 1976. Osnovnye Cherty Paleobiologischeskoi Istorii Kitoobraznykh.
2. Sanders, Albert E.; Geisler, Jonathan H. (2015). "A new basal odontocete from the upper Rupelian of South Carolina, U.S.A., with contributions to the systematics of Xenorophus and Mirocetus (Mammalia, Cetacea)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 35 (1) e890107. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.890107.
3. G. A. Mchedlidze. 1970. Nekotorye obschie cherty istorii kitoobraznykh. Chast I 1-111
4. Vélez-Juarbe, Jorge (2017). "A new stem odontocete from the late Oligocene Pysht Formation in Washington State, U.S.A.". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 37 (5) e1366916. doi:10.1080/02724634.2017.1366916.