The inner ear of the two higher clades of modern cetaceans (Neoceti) is highly adapted for hearing infrasonic (mysticetes) or ultrasonic (odontocetes) frequencies. Within odontocetes, Platanistoidea comprises a single extant riverine representative,Platanista gangetica, and a diversity of mainly extinct marine species from the late Oligocene onward. Recent studies, drawing on features including the disparate tympanoperiotic, have not yet provided a consensus phylogenetic hypothesis for platanistoids. Further, cochlear morphology and evolutionary patterns have never been reported. Here, we describe for the first time the inner ear morphology of late Oligocene–early Miocene extinct marine platanistoids and their evolutionary patterns. We initially hypothesized that extinct marine platanistoids lacked a specialised inner ear likePlatanista gangetica and thus, their morphology and inferred hearing abilities were more similar to pelagic odontocetes. Our results reveal there is no "typical" platanistoid cochlear type as the group displays a disparate range of cochlear anatomies, but all are consistent with high-frequency hearing. Stem odontoceteProsqualodon australis and platanistoidOtekaikea huatapresent a tympanal recess in their cochlea, of yet uncertain function in the hearing mechanism in cetaceans. The more basal morphology ofAondelphis talen indicates it had lower high-frequency hearing than other platanistoids. Finally,Platanistahas the most derived cochlear morphology, adding to evidence that it is an outlier within the group and consistent with a >9 Myr long separation from its sister genusZarhachis. The evolution of a singular sound production morphology within Platanistidae may have facilitated the survival ofPlatanistato the present day.

Viglino_et_al_Platanistoid_cochlear_evolution_ESM.pdf

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