Atocetus | |
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Skull ofA. iquensis | |
Scientific classification![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Infraorder: | Cetacea |
Family: | †Kentriodontidae |
Subfamily: | †Pithanodelphininae |
Genus: | †Atocetus De Muizon 1988 |
Species | |
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Atocetus is an extinctgenus ofpontoporiiddolphin found inMiocene-age marine deposits inPeru andCalifornia.[1]
The type species,Atocetus iquensis, is known fromSerravallian-age strata of thePisco Formation of Peru,[2] whileA. nasalis is known fromTortonian-age marine deposits of theModelo Formation in California.[3] Barnes (1985) originally described the latter as a species ofPithanodelphis, but it was eventually transferred toAtocetus by Muizon (1988). The Miocene delphinidan"Champsodelphis" fuchsii from marine deposits inAustria was initially tentatively referred toAtocetus based on the discovery of partial skeletons from the Carpathian region with earbones similar to those ofAtocetus but was eventually reassigned toKentriodon following the discovery of additional earbones from Austria andRomania.[4][5]
AlthoughAtocetus and other pithanodelphinines are usually assigned toKentriodontidae, the cladistic analysis of Lambert et al. (2017) showed thatAtocetus andPithanodelphis form a clade withTagicetus andLophocetus that is not only phylogenetically more derived than other kentriodontids but is also phylogenetically intermediate between thebaiji and members ofInioidea andPhocoenidae.[6] However, a subsequent cladistic analysis by Post et al. (2017) recoversAtocetus as a member of Pontoporiidae, which includes thefranciscana.[7]