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Cotylocara
Taxonomy
Cotylocara was named by Geisler et al. (2014). Its type is Cotylocara macei.
It was assigned to Xenorophidae by Geisler et al. (2014), Marx et al. (2016); and to Odontoceti by Berta (2017).
It was assigned to Xenorophidae by Geisler et al. (2014), Marx et al. (2016); and to Odontoceti by Berta (2017).
Species
C. macei (type species)
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 2014 | Cotylocara Geisler et al. |
| 2016 | Cotylocara Marx et al. p. 117 |
| 2017 | Cotylocara Berta p. 160 |
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If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.
Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| J. H. Geisler et al. 2014 | The species differs from all known cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises) in that it has deep, postnarial fossae on frontals that are separated by a median septum of the interparietal (Fig. 1b, e) and a vertical supraoccipital whose anterior face is overlapped by parietals (Figs 1b and 2). Like the xenorophids Albertocetus meffordorum and Xenorophus sloani, the lateral portion of the frontal is covered by the ascending process of the lacrimal, the frontal has a window on its ventral side that exposes strips of lacrimal and maxilla (Extended Data Fig. 4), the premaxilla underlies the ascending process of the maxilla (Fig. 1e), bilateral rostral basins are present, and the petrosal (Extended Data Fig. 2) has an elongate lateral tuberosity that articulates with the squamosal6 (not preserved in Xenorophus). However, Cotylocara differs from these taxa, as well as Archaeodelphis patrius, in having premaxillae that overhang maxillae (Fig. 1f); maxillae overhanging the squamosal fossae; thick asymmetrical nasals with transversely compressed crests at their anterolateral corners; and anterolaterally projecting, dorsoventrally deep zygomatic processes of the squamosals6 (the last two characters are not preserved in Xenorophus). |