Mycteriacetus is an extinct genus of dolphin from the Early Miocene (Burdigalian) of northeastern Italy. The type species is M. bellunensis.
| Mycteriacetus Temporal range: Burdigalian, ~
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|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | †Eurhinodelphinidae |
| Genus: | †Mycteriacetus Lambert, 2004 |
| Type species | |
| †Mycteriacetus bellunensis (Pilleri, 1985)
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Etymology
editMycteriacetus is named after the Yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis) because the bill of that species is as long as the rostrum of Mycteriacetus.[1]
Taxonomy
editMycteriacetus bellunensis was originally named as a new species of Eurhinodelphis, E. bellunensis, by Pilleri (1985).[2] However, Bianucci and Landini (2002) transferred this species to Argyrocetus, creating the new combination A. bellunensis.[3] Lambert (2004) eventually recognized E. bellunensis as sufficiently distinct from Eurhinodelphis and Argyrocetus to warrant a new genus, Mycteriacetus.
References
edit- ^ O. Lambert. 2004. Systematic revision of the Miocene long-snouted dolphin Eurhinodelphis longirostris Du Bus, 1872. Bulletin de l'Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Sciences de la Terre 74:147-174.
- ^ G. Pilleri. 1985. The Miocene Cetacea of the Belluno Sandstones (Eastern Southern Alps). Memoire degli Instituti di Geologia e Mineralogia dell'Universita di Padova 37:1-250.
- ^ G. Bianucci and W. Landini. 2002. Change in diversity, ecological significance and biogeographical relationships of the Mediterranean Miocene toothed whale fauna. Geobios Mémoire spécial 24:19-28
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