Saurocetes is an extinct genus of probable iniid river dolphins from South America. Two species have been described: S. argentinus and S. gigas. It has been suggested that Saurocetes is a synonym of the possible platanistid Ischyrorhynchus.[4][5]
| Saurocetes | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | Iniidae |
| Genus: | †Saurocetes Burmeister, 1871[2] |
| Species | |
| Synonyms | |
Description
editSaurocetes remains are fragmentary, consisting of isolated teeth, rostral fragments and mandibular fragments.[5]
Taxonomy
editTypically, Saurocetes is regarded as a member of the Iniidae, a family represented by one extant genus, Inia.[6][7] However, it was noted as far back as 1926 that the taxonomy of Saurocetes is highly unstable, even at a family level.[5][8] Several specimens referred to the possible platanistid genus Ischyrorhynchus closely resemble Saurocetes in many respects, and it is possible that the two genera are synonymous.[4][5]
References
edit- ^ a b c Saurocetes in the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved January 2022.
- ^ a b Burmeister, Hermann (1871). "VI.—On Saurocetes argentinus, a new type of Zeuglodontidæ. The Annals and magazine of natural history; zoology, botany, and geology. 4 (7): 51–55.
- ^ Cozzuol, Mario (1988). "Una nueva especie de Saurodelphis Burmeister, 1891 (Cetacea: Iniidae) del "Mesopotamiense" (Mioceno Tardio-Plioceno Temprano) de la Provincia de Entre Rios, Argentina." Ameghiniana. 25 (1): 39–45.
- ^ a b de Muizon, C (1988). "Les relations phylogénétiques des Delphinida (Cetacea, Mammalia)". Ann Paléontol. 74: 159–227.
- ^ a b c d Aguirre-Fernández, G.; Carrillo-Briceño, J. D.; Sánchez, R.; Amson, E.; Sánchez-Villagra, M. R. (2016). "Fossil Cetaceans (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Neogene of Colombia and Venezuela". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 24 (2017): 71–90. doi:10.1007/s10914-016-9353-x. S2CID 254698956 – via Springer Link.
- ^ Berta, A. (2017). The Rise of Marine Mammals: 50 Million Years of Evolution. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 1–198. ISBN 9781421423258.
- ^ "FossilWorks: Saurocetes". FossilWorks.
- ^ Cabrera, A. (1926). "Cetáceos fósiles del Museo de la Plata". Rev Mus la Plata. 24: 363–411.
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