Mycteriacetus

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, ~18.78 Ma
↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Family: †Eurhinodelphinidae
Genus: †Mycteriacetus
Lambert, 2004
Type species
†Mycteriacetus bellunensis
(Pilleri, 1985)

Etymology

Mycteriacetus 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

Mycteriacetus 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
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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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