Saurocetes
Temporal range: Messinian[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Family: Iniidae
Genus: †Saurocetes
Burmeister, 1871[2]
Species
  • †S. argentinus (type)
    Burmeister, 1871[2]
  • †S. gigas
    Cozzuol, 1988[3]
Synonyms
  • Pontoplanoides
    Ameghino, 1891[1]
  • Saurodelphis
    Burmeister, 1891[1]

Saurocetes is an extinct genus of probable iniid river dolphins from South America. Two species have been described: S. argentinus and S. gigas. It has been suggested that Saurocetes is a synonym of the possible platanistid Ischyrorhynchus.[4][5]

Description

Saurocetes remains are fragmentary, consisting of isolated teeth, rostral fragments and mandibular fragments.[5]

Taxonomy

Typically, Saurocetes is regarded as a member of the Iniidae, a family represented by one extant genus, Inia.[6][7] However, it was noted as far back as 1926 that the taxonomy of Saurocetes is highly unstable, even at a family level.[5][8] Several specimens referred to the possible platanistid genus Ischyrorhynchus closely resemble Saurocetes in many respects, and it is possible that the two genera are synonymous.[4][5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Saurocetes in the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved January 2022.
  2. 1 2 Burmeister, Hermann (1871). "VI.—On Saurocetes argentinus, a new type of Zeuglodontidæ. The Annals and magazine of natural history; zoology, botany, and geology. 4 (7): 51–55.
  3. ↑ Cozzuol, Mario (1988). "Una nueva especie de Saurodelphis Burmeister, 1891 (Cetacea: Iniidae) del "Mesopotamiense" (Mioceno Tardio-Plioceno Temprano) de la Provincia de Entre Rios, Argentina." Ameghiniana. 25 (1): 39–45.
  4. 1 2 de Muizon, C (1988). "Les relations phylogénétiques des Delphinida (Cetacea, Mammalia)". Ann Paléontol. 74: 159–227.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Aguirre-Fernández, G.; Carrillo-Briceño, J. D.; Sánchez, R.; Amson, E.; Sánchez-Villagra, M. R. (2016). "Fossil Cetaceans (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Neogene of Colombia and Venezuela". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 24 (2017): 71–90. doi:10.1007/s10914-016-9353-x. S2CID 254698956 – via Springer Link.
  6. ↑ Berta, A. (2017). The Rise of Marine Mammals: 50 Million Years of Evolution. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 1–198. ISBN 9781421423258.
  7. ↑ "FossilWorks: Saurocetes". FossilWorks.
  8. ↑ Cabrera, A. (1926). "Cetáceos fósiles del Museo de la Plata". Rev Mus la Plata. 24: 363–411.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.