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A new kentriodontine dolphin from the middle Miocene of Portugal
Lambert, O.; Estevens, M.; Smith, R. (2005). A new kentriodontine dolphin from the middle Miocene of Portugal. Acta Palaeontol. Pol. 50(2): 239-248
In: Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Paleobiologii: Warszawa. ISSN 0567-7920; e-ISSN 1732-2421, more
Peer reviewed article  
Available in  Authors 
Keywords
    Aquatic organisms > Marine organisms > Aquatic mammals > Marine mammals
    Fossils > Animal fossils
    Geological time > Phanerozoic > Geological time > Cenozoic > Tertiary > Cenozoic > Neogene > Miocene
    ANE, Portugal [Marine Regions]
    Marine/Coastal
Author keywords
    Cetacea; Odontoceti; Kentriodontidae; Miocene; Lower Tagus Basin;Portugal
Authors  Top 
  • Lambert, O., more
  • Estevens, M.
  • Smith, R.
Abstract
    A nearly complete skull, a partial left scapula, five lumbar vertebrae, and some fragments of ribs of a medium-sized kentriodontid dolphin (Cetacea, Odontoceti) discovered in the middle Miocene of Setúbal Peninsula, Lower Tagus Basin, Portugal, are herein assigned to a new genus and species, Tagicetus joneti. Within the grade-level family Kentriodontidae, the new taxon is referred to the specifically and ecologically diversified subfamily Kentriodontinae, essentially defined by a well-developed posterolateral projection of the nasal. The elongated rostrum, the constriction of the asymmetric premaxillae at the base of the rostrum, the anteriorly elongated palatines, and the elevated vertex of T. joneti suggest closer affinities with the larger, more derived Macrokentriodon morani, from the middle Miocene of Maryland (USA). Among other features, T. joneti differs from the latter in having more numerous maxillary teeth and shorter zygomatic processes of the squamosals. Besides providing additional indications about the evolutionary trends within the Kentriodontinae, this occurrence constitutes the first record of the subfamily from the east coast of the North Atlantic based on a nearly complete skull. Considering their morphological diversity and wide geographic range, the Kentriodontinae may have constituted one of the dominant groups of Miocene oceanic dolphins.
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