Nuevos restos de Scaldicetus (Cetacea, Odontoceti, Physeteridae) del Mioceno superior, sector occidental de la Cuenca del Guadalquivir (sur de España)

• Main Authors: Toscano Grande, Antonio, Abad de los Santos, Manuel, Ruiz Muñoz, Francisco, Muñiz Guinea, Fernando, Álvarez García, Genaro, Caro Gómez, José Antonio, Mara García, Edith Xio
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM): Centro de Geociencias 2013
• Subjects: Cetacea; Odontoceti; Scaldicetus; Neógeno; Sur de España; Neogene; south of Spain; Orca; Orcinus orca
• Online Access: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/oaiart?codigo=4711256

The Physeteridae family is one of the basal branches in odontocete cetaceans. At the present, it is only represented by three species belonging to the genus Physeter and Kogia, although it includes numerous extinct genera as Scaldicetus. From a systematic point of view, Scaldicetus is one of the most common and problematic group of the extinct subfamily Hoplocetinae during the Neogene. It is considered a polyphyletic genus and its taxonomic use has been relegated to the identification of isolated teeth. Two dental pieces identified as Scaldicetus found in two late Miocene units of the western sector of the Guadalquivir Basin (south of Spain) have been analyzed in this work. The sedimentological and palaeontological analysis of the facies indicates littoral to open marine environments with profuse potential preys for Scaldicetus. The morphological characteristics and the heterogeneous palaeobiogeographic and ecological distribution of Scaldicetus denote that this taxon occupied an ecological niche similar to that of Orcinus orca at present. This paper constitutes the first systematic review of Odontocetes fossils in Southern Spain and contributes new data about the understanding of this controversial genus. La familia Physeteridae constituye una rama basal dentro de los cetáceos odontocetos. En la actualidad solo está representada por tres especies pertenecientes a los géneros Physeter y Kogia, aunque incluye numerosos géneros extintos. Scaldicetus es uno de los géneros neógenos más comunes y problemáticos desde el punto de vista taxonómico de la extinta subfamilia Hoplocetinae. Considerado un género polifilético, su uso sistemático ha quedado relegado a piezas dentales aisladas. En este trabajo se analizan dos piezas dentales atribuidas al género Scaldicetus halladas en dos formaciones del Mioceno superior de la región occidental de la Cuenca del Guadalquivir (sur de España). Los análisis sedimentológico y paleontológico de las facies indican ambientes litorales y marinos profundos, con abundantes presas ...