Title
Koristocetus pescei gen. et sp. nov., a diminutive sperm whale (Cetacea: Odontoceti: Kogiidae) from the late Miocene of Peru
Date Issued
07 December 2017
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Publisher(s)
Copernicus GmbH
Abstract
Among odontocetes, members of the family Kogiidae (pygmy and dwarf sperm whales) are known as small-sized and in many respects enigmatic relatives of the great sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus. Most of the still scanty fossil record of Kogiidae is represented by isolated skulls and ear bones from Neogene deposits of the Northern Hemisphere, with the significant exception of Scaphokogia, a highly autapomorphic genus from late Miocene deposits of the Pisco Formation exposed along the southern coast of Peru. Here we report on a new fossil kogiid from Aguada de Lomas, a site where the late Miocene beds of the Pisco Formation are exposed. This specimen consists of an almost complete cranium representing a new taxon of Kogiidae: Koristocetus pescei gen. et sp. nov. Koristocetus mainly differs from extant Kogia spp. by displaying a larger temporal fossa and well-individualized dental alveoli on the upper jaws. Coupled with a relatively elongated rostrum, these characters suggest that Koristocetus retained some degree of raptorial feeding abilities, contrasting with the strong suction feeding specialization seen in Recent kogiids. Our phylogenetic analysis recognizes Koristocetus as the earliest branching member of the subfamily Kogiinae. Interestingly, Koristocetus shared the southern coast of present-day Peru with members of the genus Scaphokogia, whose unique convex rostrum and unusual neurocranial morphology seemingly indicate a peculiar foraging specialization that has still to be understood. In conclusion, Koristocetus evokes a long history of high diversity, morphological disparity, and sympatric habits in fossil kogiids, thus suggesting that our comprehension of the evolutionary history of pygmy and dwarf sperm whales is still far from being exhaustive.
Start page
259
End page
278
Volume
20
Issue
2
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Paleontología
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85038406463
Source
Fossil Record
ISSN of the container
21930066
Sponsor(s)
Acknowledgements. Special thanks are due to Aldo Benites-Palomino, Rafael Varas-Malca, and Walter Aguirre (Museo de His-toria Natural de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos) for their most valuable and friendly assistance and fruitful discussion on several aspects of the cetacean assemblage of the Pisco Formation. We are also grateful to Elena Cioppi and Stefano Dominici (Museo di Storia Naturale, Sezione di Geologia e Paleontologia, Università degli Studi di Firenze), Giuseppe Manganelli (Diparti-mento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell’Ambiente, Università di Siena), Fabrizio Cancelli (Museo di Storia Naturale dell’Accademia dei Fisiocritici), Gianni Insacco (Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Comiso), Daniel Robineau and Christine Lefèvre (Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle), James G. Mead and Charles W. Potter (National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution), Lawrence G. Barnes and Vanessa R. Rhue (Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County), and Adri Rol (Zoological Museum Amsterdam) for providing access to specimens under their care. This research was supported by a grant of the Italian Minis-tero dell’Istruzione dell’Università e della Ricerca (PRIN Project 2012YJSBMK) to Giovanni Bianucci. Alberto Collareta received support from the SYNTHESYS Project http://www.synthesys.info/ (Project Number FR-TAF-6129), which is financed by European Community Research Infrastructure Action under the FP7 “Capacities” Program. This paper greatly benefited from constructive comments and thoughtful suggestions by Mark D. Uhen (George Mason University) and Stephen J. Godfrey (Calvert Marine Museum): thank you very much!
Sources of information:
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Scopus