Squalodelphis

Squalodelphis Temporal range: 23.0–20.4  Ma [1] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Skull of Squalodelphis fabianii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Suborder:	Whippomorpha
Infraorder:	Cetacea
Family:	† Squalodelphinidae
Genus:	† Squalodelphis Dal Piaz, 1917
Species:	†S. fabianii
Binomial name
†Squalodelphis fabianii Dal Piaz, 1917

Squalodelphis is an extinct genus of river dolphin from the early Miocene belonging to Squalodelphinidae, containing only its type species Squalodelphis fabianii. ^[1] Known remains have been found in Italy and Germany. ^{[2] [1]}

Taxonomy

Squalodelphis is the type genus of the family Squalodelphinidae, which also includes the genera Huaridelphis , Notocetus , Phocageneus , Macrosqualodelphis , Medocinia , and Furcacetus . ^[3] Throughout its history, it has been moved several times between Squalodelphinidae (previously Squalodelphidae) and Ziphiidae.

Description

Squalodelphis differs from Huaridelphis and Macrosqualodelphis in having a dorsal opening of the mesorostral groove broader than that of the premaxilla in the rostral base and lower tooth count, and from Macrosqualodelphis in having a transversely narrower nuchal crest as well as the left and right frontals being of unequal length at the vertex. ^[4]

Distribution

The type species of Squaloziphius, S. fabianii, is known from the Libano sandstone formation, in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy. ^{[2] [5]} Fossils have also been found in the Baltringen region of Germany. ^[1]

References

1. "Squalodelphis†". Mindat . Hudson Institute of Mineralogy. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
2. Dal Piaz, G. (1917). "Gli Odontoceti del Miocene bellunese, Parte Terza. Squalodelphis fabianii". Memorie Dell' Instituto Geologico della R. Universita di Padova. 5 (1): 1–34.
3. Lambert, Olivier; Bianucci, Giovanni; Urbina, Mario (29 July 2014). "Huaridelphis raimondii, a new early Miocene Squalodelphinidae (Cetacea, Odontoceti) from the Chilcatay Formation, Peru". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 34 (5). Taylor & Francis: 987–1004. Bibcode:2014JVPal..34..987L. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.858050.
4. Bianucci, Giovanni; Bosio, Giulia; Malinverno, Elisa; de Muizon, Christian; Villa, Igor M.; Urbina, Mario; Lambert, Olivier (April 2018). "A new large squalodelphinid (Cetacea, Odontoceti) from Peru sheds light on the Early Miocene platanistoid disparity and ecology". Royal Society Open Science. 5 (4): 172302. Bibcode:2018RSOS....572302B. doi:10.1098/rsos.172302. PMC   5936943 . PMID   29765678.
5. "The Ecological Register". fossilworks.org.