Title
A new record of Notocetus vanbenedeni (Squalodelphinidae, Odontoceti, Cetacea) from the Early Miocene of Peru
Date Issued
01 January 2015
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Publisher(s)
Elsevier Masson SAS
Abstract
An almost complete skull with associated periotics and one cervical vertebra from the Early Miocene strata of the Chilcatay Formation (Pisco Basin, Peru) is described here and referred to Notocetus vanbenedeni, a species previously recorded from Argentina, belonging to the extinct odontocete family Squalodelphinidae (Platanistoidea). The fossil was collected in the same locality and approximately the same stratigraphical horizon as Huaridelphis raimondii, suggesting the sympatric coexistence of two squalodelphinids during the Early Miocene along the Pacific coast of South America. Considering the new record here described, N.vanbenedeni lived both along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of South America, two marine areas in wide contact during the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene. Despite the relative commonness of squalodelphinids in the Chilcatay Fm., the worldwide record of this family remains globally rather scarce and significant specimens were only found in Italy, France, along the East Coast of USA, Argentina, Peru, and possibly New Zealand.
Start page
5
End page
13
Volume
14
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Paleontología
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84922979990
Source
Comptes Rendus - Palevol
ISSN of the container
16310683
Sponsor(s)
We particularly thank R. Salas-Gismondi, J. Tejada, W. Aguirre, E. Diaz Ramos, A. Altamirano, and R. Varas, who prepared the specimens and provided assistance during our visits to the MUSM. We also wish to thank K. Post and C. de Muizon for their continuous support and for their enthusiast participation to past field expeditions in the Pisco Basin. We thank D.J. Bohaska (USNM), L. Del Favero (MGP), Z.N. Gasparini (MLP), C. Lefèvre (MNHN), G. Lenglet (IRSNB), M. Fornasiero (MGP), J.G. Mead (USNM), J.J. Ososki (USNM), N.D. Pyenson (USNM), M.A. Reguero (MLP), L.H. Pomi (MLP), C.W. Potter (USNM), C. Nocchi (MSNUP) and S. van der Mije (NNML) for allowing access to the specimens under their care. We also thank two anonymous reviewers and associate editor L. van den Hoek Ostende for their constructive remarks. The research was partially supported by a MIUR grant (PRIN 2012YJSBMK, resp. G. B.) and the research of O. L. at the RBINS until April 2013 was carried out in the framework of the action ‘Mandats de retour 2011’ of the Belgian Federal Science Policy.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus