Microcetus

Microcetus; Temporal range: Late Oligocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Infraorder:	Cetacea
Family:	†Waipatiidae (?)
Genus:	†Microcetus; Kellogg, 1923
Species
	M. ambiguus (von Meyer, 1840) (type); ?M. sharkovi Dubrovo and Sharkov 1971;

Microcetus is a genus of extinct odontocete from the late Oligocene (Chattian) of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.

Taxonomy

The type species of Microcetus, M. ambiguus, was originally described as a new species of Phoca on the basis of teeth from late Oligocene deposits in northwestern Germany.^[1] The odontocete nature of the teeth was eventually recognized, and it was eventually assigned to Squalodon,^[2]^[3] before being made the type species of a new genus, Microcetus.^[4]

Misassigned species

Microcetus hectori Benham, 1935 = Waipatia hectori
Microcetus sharkovi Dubrovo and Sharkov, 1971^[5] = likely a distinct genus, but affinities uncertain^[6]^[7]

References

^ H. Meyer. 1840. Phoca ambiguua, Munster. Beitrage zur Petrefacten-Kunde 3:1-11
^ E. L. Trouessart. 1898. Catalogus mammalium tam viventium quam fossilum 5:665-1264
^ G. Dal Piaz. 1916. Squalodon. Memoirie dell'Instituto geologico della R. Università di Padova 4:1-94
^ R. Kellogg. 1923. Description of two squalodonts recently discovered in the Calvert Cliffs, Maryland; and notes on the shark-toothed cetaceans. Proceedings of the U. S. National Museum 62(16):1-69
^ I. A. Dubrovo and A. A. Sharkov. 1971. Kit iz verkhnego oligotsena Mangyshlaka (Whale from the upper Oligocene of Mangyshlak). Doklady Akademii Nauk SSR, Moscow 198(6):140-143
^ R. E. Fordyce. 1994. Waipatia maerewhenua, New Genus and New Species, Waipatiidae, New Family, an archaic late Oligocene dolphin (Cetacea: Odontoceti: Platanistoidea) from New Zealand. Contributions in Marine Mammal Paleontology Honoring Frank C. Whitmore Jr., Proceedings of the San Diego Society of Natural History 29:147-176
^ Y. Tanaka and R. E. Fordyce. 2015. Historically significant late Oligocene dolphin Microcetus hectori Benham 1935: a new species of Waipatia (Platanistoidea). Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand

[1] H. Meyer. 1840. Phoca ambiguua, Munster. Beitrage zur Petrefacten-Kunde 3:1-11

[2] E. L. Trouessart. 1898. Catalogus mammalium tam viventium quam fossilum 5:665-1264

[3] G. Dal Piaz. 1916. Squalodon. Memoirie dell'Instituto geologico della R. Università di Padova 4:1-94

[4] R. Kellogg. 1923. Description of two squalodonts recently discovered in the Calvert Cliffs, Maryland; and notes on the shark-toothed cetaceans. Proceedings of the U. S. National Museum 62(16):1-69

[5] I. A. Dubrovo and A. A. Sharkov. 1971. Kit iz verkhnego oligotsena Mangyshlaka (Whale from the upper Oligocene of Mangyshlak). Doklady Akademii Nauk SSR, Moscow 198(6):140-143

[6] R. E. Fordyce. 1994. Waipatia maerewhenua, New Genus and New Species, Waipatiidae, New Family, an archaic late Oligocene dolphin (Cetacea: Odontoceti: Platanistoidea) from New Zealand. Contributions in Marine Mammal Paleontology Honoring Frank C. Whitmore Jr., Proceedings of the San Diego Society of Natural History 29:147-176

[7] Y. Tanaka and R. E. Fordyce. 2015. Historically significant late Oligocene dolphin Microcetus hectori Benham 1935: a new species of Waipatia (Platanistoidea). Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand

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