13-525: See text Neobalaenidae ? Miller, 1923 Cetotheriidae is a family of baleen whales (parvorder Mysticeti ). The family is known to have existed from the Late Oligocene to the Early Pleistocene before going extinct . Although some phylogenetic studies conducted by Fordyce & Marx 2013 recovered the living pygmy right whale as a member of Cetotheriidae, making the pygmy right whale
26-527: Is a genus of cetotheriid mysticete in the subfamily Herpetocetinae . Considerably smaller than modern baleen whales, Herpetocetus measured only 3 to 4 meters in length. Additionally, due to the structure of its jaw, it was unable to open its mouth as wide as modern baleen whales, making it incapable of lunge feeding . There are four recognized species of Herpetocetus : H. scaldiensis , H. transatlanticus , H. bramblei , and H. morrowi . An additional unnamed species from Japan has been referred to
39-478: The nomen dubium Mizuhoptera sendaicus in the past, but the undiagnostic nature of the holotype of the latter means that it cannot be confidently referred to M. sendaicus . A recently discovered specimen of Herpetocetus from the Lower-Middle Pleistocene ( Gelasian ) Falor Formation of northern California indicates that Herpetocetus survived into the early Pleistocene, shedding light on
52-514: The Pisco Formation of Peru. Bisconti, however, found, based on morphological data, it to be more closely related to Balaenidae (the bowhead and right whales), but added that additional specimens are expected to resolve these conflicting results within a few years. Cladistic analyses by Gol'din and Steeman partly agreed with Fordyce and Marx in recovering neobalaenids as closer to cetotheres than to Balaenidae, but disagreed with their recovery of
65-473: The Fossilworks online database: Incertae sedis: Neobalaenidae Neobalaenidae is a family of baleen whales (suborder Mysticeti ) including the extant pygmy right whale. Although traditionally considered related to balaenids, recent studies by Fordyce and Marx (2013) and Ludovic Dutoit and colleagues (2023) have recovered the living pygmy right whale as a member of Cetotheriidae , making it
78-434: The frontal" and some other characters. This group is limited to Cetotherium rathkii , Metopocetus durinasus , Mixocetus elysius , Herpetocetus scaldiensis , H. transatlanticus , H. bramblei , Nannocetus eremus , and Piscobalaena nana . The remaining genera placed in the family are considered Cetotheriidae sensu lato and are often referred to as the 'cetotheres'. Bisconti, Lambert & Bosselaers 2013 considered
91-552: The only extant cetotheriid. Not all authors agree with this placement. The family Neobalaenidae was long restricted to the pygmy right whale from the Southern Hemisphere due to the unusual skeletal form of the species relative to other extant mysticetes. Until the early 2010s Neobalaenidae was unknown from the fossil record despite a study by Sasaki et al. (2005) placing the divergence date of Neobalaenidae from other living baleen whales at 23 mya. Fordyce and Marx found that
104-581: The only living cetotheriid, other authors either dispute this placement or recover Neobalaenidae as a sister group to Cetotheriidae. After its description by Brant in 1872, Cetotheriidae was used as a wastebasket taxon for baleen whales which were not assignable to extant whale families. Comparing the cranial and mandibular morphology of 23 taxa (including late archaeocetes and both fossil and extant mysticetes), Bouetel & Muizon 2006 found Cetotheriidae in this traditional sense to be polyphyletic. Based on ten cranial characters, they also concluded that of
117-513: The primitive 'cetothere' Joumocetus the most basal named taxon of their new superfamily Thalassotherii (Cetotheriidae s.l. , Cetotheriidae s.s. , Eschrichtiidae (gray whales) and Balaenopteridae (rorquals)) and suggested that the term "Cetotheriidae s.l. " should be renamed "basal" or "stem thalassotherians". Fordyce & Marx 2013 found that the pygmy right whale formed a well-supported clade with Eschrichtiidae and Balaenopteridae based on molecular data, and that, within 'cetotheres', it
130-618: The pygmy right whale as a herpetocetine, instead recovering Neobalaenidae outside Cetotheriidae. Examples of Neobalaenidae in the fossil record include Miocaperea , a couple of indeterminate earbones from Australia (one similar to Caperea ), and specimens from Pleistocene localities in the Northern Hemisphere. Herpetocetus † H. scaldiensis van Beneden, 1872 ( type ) † H. transatlanticus Whitmore and Barnes, 2008 † H. bramblei Whitmore and Barnes, 2008 † H. morrowi El Adli, Deméré, and Boessenecker, 2014 Herpetocetus
143-429: The pygmy right whale formed a well-supported clade with Eschrichtiidae and Balaenopteridae based on molecular data, and that, within 'cetotheres', it was most closely related to the herpetocetines ( Herpetocetus and Nannocetus ), rendering the pygmy right whale the only living species of Cetotheriidae. Around the same time, Bisconti had described the first pygmy right whale from the fossil record, Miocaperea , from
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#1733084466387156-411: The twelve included fossil baleen-bearing mysticetes, six formed a monophyletic group, Cetotheriidae sensu stricto . Several phylogenetic studies since Bouetel & Muizon 2006 support the monophyly of a small group of core Cetotheriidae sensu stricto , archaic mysticetes with a cranium that have "a long ascending process of the maxilla with anteriorly diverging lateral border that interdigitates with
169-409: Was most closely related to the herpetocetines ( Herpetocetus and Nannocetus ) Bisconti et al. 2013, however, found, based on morphological data, it to be more closely related to Balaenidae (the bowhead and right whales), but added that additional specimens are expected to resolve these conflicting results within a few years. Classification of Cetotheriidae according to El Adli et al. (2014) and
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