PeerJ | |
A large Late Miocene cetotheriid (Cetacea, Mysticeti) from the Netherlands clarifies the status of Tranatocetidae | |
article | |
Felix G. Marx1  Klaas Post5  Mark Bosselaers2  Dirk K. Munsterman7  | |
[1] Department of Geology, Université de Liège;Directorate of Earth and History of Life, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences;Palaeontology;School of Biological Sciences, Monash University;Natuurhistorisch Museum;Zeeland Royal Society of Sciences;Netherlands Institute of Applied Geoscience TNO - National Geological Survey | |
关键词: Baleen whale; Phylogeny; Systematics; Evolution; Body size; | |
DOI : 10.7717/peerj.6426 | |
学科分类:社会科学、人文和艺术(综合) | |
来源: Inra | |
【 摘 要 】
Cetotheriidae are a group of small baleen whales (Mysticeti) that evolved alongside modern rorquals. They once enjoyed a nearly global distribution, but then largely went extinct during the Plio-Pleistocene. After languishing as a wastebasket taxon for more than a century, the concept of Cetotheriidae is now well established. Nevertheless, the clade remains notable for its variability, and its scope remains in flux. In particular, the recent referral of several traditional cetotheriids to a new and seemingly unrelated family, Tranatocetidae, has created major phylogenetic uncertainty. Here, we describe a new species of Tranatocetus, the type of Tranatocetidae, from the Late Miocene of the Netherlands. Tranatocetus maregermanicum sp. nov. clarifies several of the traits previously ascribed to this genus, and reveals distinctive auditory and mandibular morphologies suggesting cetotheriid affinities. This interpretation is supported by a large phylogenetic analysis, which mingles cetotheriids and tranatocetids within a unified clade. As a result, we suggest that both groups should be reintegrated into the single family Cetotheriidae.
【 授权许可】
CC BY
【 预 览 】
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