A new delphinid from the lower Pliocene of the North Sea and the early radiations of true dolphins
Abstract. With a remarkable exception for the Mediterranean, the worldwide Pliocene record of true dolphins (Cetacea, Odontoceti, Delphinidae) remains scarce, in stark contrast with the large number of extant species testifying to the evolutionary success of this family. Based on a fragmentary skull...
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ftopenaccessrep:oai:zenodo.org:131113 2023-10-29T02:38:29+01:00 A new delphinid from the lower Pliocene of the North Sea and the early radiations of true dolphins Olivier Lambert Alice Belluzzo 2021-04-07 https://www.openaccessrepository.it/record/131113 https://doi.org/10.5194/fr-24-77-2021 eng eng url:https://www.openaccessrepository.it/communities/itmirror https://www.openaccessrepository.it/record/131113 doi:10.5194/fr-24-77-2021 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/article publication-article 2021 ftopenaccessrep https://doi.org/10.5194/fr-24-77-2021 2023-10-03T22:19:12Z Abstract. With a remarkable exception for the Mediterranean, the worldwide Pliocene record of true dolphins (Cetacea, Odontoceti, Delphinidae) remains scarce, in stark contrast with the large number of extant species testifying to the evolutionary success of this family. Based on a fragmentary skull discovered in lower Pliocene deposits (Zanclean, 5 to 4.4 Ma) of the Kattendijk Formation in the Antwerp harbour (Belgium, southern margin of the North Sea basin), we describe here a new delphinid species, Pliodelphis doelensis gen. et sp. nov. This small dolphin with cranial dimensions in the range of the short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis can be distinguished from other extinct and extant delphinids by a combination of cranial features including the maxilla being significantly narrower than the premaxilla at a short distance anterior to the antorbital notch in dorsal view, the maximum opening of the mesorostral groove being located at the level of the antorbital notches, a transversely wide and anteroposteriorly long dorsal exposure of the presphenoid anterior to the bony nares, and all dorsal infraorbital foramina being located posterior to the premaxillary foramina. P. doelensis constitutes the first member of the family described from the early Pliocene of the North Sea basin and, for the whole North Atlantic realm, only the third outside the Mediterranean. This new record contributes thus to our understanding of the poorly known Pliocene radiation(s) of true dolphins. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN): Open Access Repository Fossil Record 24 1 77 92 |
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Open Polar |
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Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN): Open Access Repository |
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ftopenaccessrep |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract. With a remarkable exception for the Mediterranean, the worldwide Pliocene record of true dolphins (Cetacea, Odontoceti, Delphinidae) remains scarce, in stark contrast with the large number of extant species testifying to the evolutionary success of this family. Based on a fragmentary skull discovered in lower Pliocene deposits (Zanclean, 5 to 4.4 Ma) of the Kattendijk Formation in the Antwerp harbour (Belgium, southern margin of the North Sea basin), we describe here a new delphinid species, Pliodelphis doelensis gen. et sp. nov. This small dolphin with cranial dimensions in the range of the short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis can be distinguished from other extinct and extant delphinids by a combination of cranial features including the maxilla being significantly narrower than the premaxilla at a short distance anterior to the antorbital notch in dorsal view, the maximum opening of the mesorostral groove being located at the level of the antorbital notches, a transversely wide and anteroposteriorly long dorsal exposure of the presphenoid anterior to the bony nares, and all dorsal infraorbital foramina being located posterior to the premaxillary foramina. P. doelensis constitutes the first member of the family described from the early Pliocene of the North Sea basin and, for the whole North Atlantic realm, only the third outside the Mediterranean. This new record contributes thus to our understanding of the poorly known Pliocene radiation(s) of true dolphins. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Olivier Lambert Alice Belluzzo |
spellingShingle |
Olivier Lambert Alice Belluzzo A new delphinid from the lower Pliocene of the North Sea and the early radiations of true dolphins |
author_facet |
Olivier Lambert Alice Belluzzo |
author_sort |
Olivier Lambert |
title |
A new delphinid from the lower Pliocene of the North Sea and the early radiations of true dolphins |
title_short |
A new delphinid from the lower Pliocene of the North Sea and the early radiations of true dolphins |
title_full |
A new delphinid from the lower Pliocene of the North Sea and the early radiations of true dolphins |
title_fullStr |
A new delphinid from the lower Pliocene of the North Sea and the early radiations of true dolphins |
title_full_unstemmed |
A new delphinid from the lower Pliocene of the North Sea and the early radiations of true dolphins |
title_sort |
new delphinid from the lower pliocene of the north sea and the early radiations of true dolphins |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://www.openaccessrepository.it/record/131113 https://doi.org/10.5194/fr-24-77-2021 |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_relation |
url:https://www.openaccessrepository.it/communities/itmirror https://www.openaccessrepository.it/record/131113 doi:10.5194/fr-24-77-2021 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/fr-24-77-2021 |
container_title |
Fossil Record |
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24 |
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1 |
container_start_page |
77 |
op_container_end_page |
92 |
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1781064573752705024 |