Ciuciulea is a genus of cetotheriid mysticete found in middle Miocene marine deposits in Moldova.

Ciuciulea davidi
Temporal range: Miocene
Skull of Ciuciulea davidi Gol'din, 2018, dorsal side
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Family: Cetotheriidae
Genus: Ciuciulea
Gol'din, 2018
Species

Ciuciulea davidi Gol'din, 2018 (type)

Description

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Ciuciulea is a dwarf cetotheriid 3–4 meters in length. It comes from the Badenian deposits (13.8-12.7 Ma) of the Central Paratethys, and this is the earliest world record of the family Cetotheriidae. It differs from the other Cetotheriidae in the presence of a narrow occipital shield, which is as long as wide, and a pars cochlearis of the periotic bone bulging out ventral to fenestra rotunda. Primitive characters include the premaxillae forming a transverse line with the posterior ends of nasals and maxillae rather than constricted or overridden by ascending processes of maxillae.[1]

Biology

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Ciuciulea lived in shallow marine waters in present-day Moldova, earlier than true seals Pontophoca, Sarmatonectes, Histriophoca, Monachopsis, Cryptophoca, and Praepusa, the putative kentriodontid Sarmatodelphis, and the problematic odontocetes Pachypleurus, Phocaena euxinica, and Delphinus bessarabicus.

References

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  1. ^ Gol'din P. (2018) New Paratethyan dwarf baleen whales mark the origin of cetotheres. PeerJ 6:e5800 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5800