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Cetotheriidae

Mammalia - Cetacea

Taxonomy
Cetotheriinae was named by Brandt (1872). It is extant. Its type is Cetotherium. It was considered monophyletic by Kimura and Hasegawa (2010).

It was corrected as Cetotherinae by Brandt (1874); it was misspelled as Cetotherinae by Brandt (1874), Riabinin (1934); it was reranked as the subfamily Cetotheriidae by Miller (1923), Kellogg (1928), Hay (1930), Simpson (1945), Keyes (1973), Whitmore and Sanders (1977), Mchedlidze (1984), Whitmore (1984), Barnes et al. (1985), Carroll (1988), Mitchell (1989), Pilleri and Pilleri (1989), Pilleri (1990), Vidal (1991), Benton (1993), Fordyce and Barnes (1994), Fordyce et al. (1995), Cozzuol (1996), McKenna and Bell (1997), Rice (1998), Fordyce and de Muizon (2001), Rice (2002), Sanders and Barnes (2002), Yoshida et al. (2003), Fordyce (2003), Geisler and Sanders (2003), Gingerich (2005), Bouetel and Muizon (2006), Bianucci and Landini (2007), Steeman (2007), Otsuka and Ota (2008), Whitmore and Kaltenbach (2008), Uhen et al. (2008), Canto et al. (2010), Steeman (2010), Kimura and Hasegawa (2010), Tarasenko and Lopatin (2012), Tarasenko and Lopatin (2012), Bisconti et al. (2013), Bisconti (2014), Goldin et al. (2014), El Adli et al. (2014), Gol'din and Steeman (2015), Marx and Fordyce (2015), Marx et al. (2016), Buono et al. (2017), Marx et al. (2017), Goldin and Startsev (2017), Berta (2017), Gol'din (2018), Tanaka et al. (2018), Marx et al. (2019), Figueiredo et al. (2024).

It was assigned to Mysticete by Hay (1930); to Balaenopteridae by Brandt (1873), Brandt (1874), Brandt (1874), Riabinin (1934); to Balaenomorpha by Geisler and Sanders (2003); to Balaenopteroidea by Mitchell (1989), Sanders and Barnes (2002), Gingerich (2005); to Eomysticetoidea by Bianucci and Landini (2007); to Mysticeti by Canto et al. (2010), Goldin et al. (2014); to Plicogulae by Marx and Fordyce (2015), Marx et al. (2016), Buono et al. (2017); to Chaeomysticeti by Rice (1998), El Adli et al. (2014), Marx et al. (2017); to Thalassotherii by Bisconti et al. (2013), Bisconti (2014), Berta (2017); to Mysticeti by Miller (1923), Kellogg (1928), Simpson (1945), Keyes (1973), Whitmore and Sanders (1977), Mchedlidze (1984), Whitmore (1984), Barnes et al. (1985), Carroll (1988), Pilleri and Pilleri (1989), Pilleri (1990), Vidal (1991), Benton (1993), Fordyce and Barnes (1994), Fordyce et al. (1995), Cozzuol (1996), McKenna and Bell (1997), Fordyce and de Muizon (2001), Rice (2002), Yoshida et al. (2003), Fordyce (2003), Bouetel and Muizon (2006), Otsuka and Ota (2008), Whitmore and Kaltenbach (2008), Uhen et al. (2008), Kimura and Hasegawa (2010), Tanaka et al. (2018); to Cetotherioidea by Steeman (2007), Steeman (2010), Tarasenko and Lopatin (2012), Tarasenko and Lopatin (2012), Gol'din and Steeman (2015), Goldin and Startsev (2017), Gol'din (2018); and to Chaeomysticeti by Marx et al. (2019), Figueiredo et al. (2024).

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1872Cetotheriinae Brandt p. 116
1873Cetotheriinae Brandt p. 26
1874Cetotherinae Brandt p. I
1923Cetotheriidae Miller p. 40
1928Cetotheriidae Kellogg p. 35 figs. Table 1
1930Cetotheriidae Hay p. 571
1934Cetotheriinae Riabinin p. 4
1945Cetotheriidae Simpson p. 104
1973Cetotheriidae Keyes p. 390
1977Cetotheriidae Whitmore and Sanders p. 305
1984Cetotheriidae Mchedlidze p. 5
1984Cetotheriidae Whitmore p. 230
1985Cetotheriidae Barnes et al. p. 26
1988Cetotheriidae Carroll
1989Cetotheriidae Mitchell p. 2232
1989Cetotheriidae Pilleri and Pilleri
1990Cetotheriidae Pilleri p. 58
1991Cetotheriidae Vidal p. 6
1993Cetotheriidae Benton p. 762
1994Cetotheriidae Fordyce and Barnes p. 428 figs. Table 1
1995Cetotheriidae Fordyce et al. p. 379
1996Cetotheriidae Cozzuol p. 324
1997Cetotheriidae McKenna and Bell p. 375
1998Cetotheriidae Rice
2001Cetotheriidae Fordyce and de Muizon p. 176
2002Cetotheriidae Rice p. 231 figs. Table 1
2002Cetotheriidae Sanders and Barnes p. 353
2003Cetotheriidae Fordyce p. 156 figs. Figure 9.1
2003Cetotheriidae Geisler and Sanders p. 27
2003Cetotheriidae Yoshida et al. p. 2
2005Cetotheriidae Gingerich p. 237 figs. Table 15.1
2006Cetotheriidae Bouetel and Muizon p. 323
2007Cetotheriidae Bianucci and Landini p. 45 figs. Table 2.1
2007Cetotheriidae Steeman p. 880
2008Cetotheriidae Otsuka and Ota p. 12
2008Cetotheriidae Uhen et al. p. 612
2008Cetotheriidae Whitmore and Kaltenbach p. 242
2010Cetotheriidae Canto et al. p. 22
2010Cetotheriidae Kimura and Hasegawa p. 578
2010Cetotheriidae Steeman p. 74
2012Cetotheriidae Tarasenko and Lopatin p. 532
2013Cetotheriidae Bisconti et al. p. 98
2014Cetotheriidae Bisconti
2014Cetotheriidae El Adli et al. p. 403
2014Cetotheriidae Goldin et al. p. 797
2015Cetotheriidae Gol'din and Steeman p. 12
2015Cetotheriidae Marx and Fordyce p. 4 figs. Figure 2
2016Cetotheriidae Marx et al. p. 22 figs. Figure 10
2017Cetotheriidae Berta p. 168
2017Cetotheriidae Buono et al. p. 32 figs. Fig. 12
2017Cetotheriidae Goldin and Startsev figs. Fig. 10
2017Cetotheriidae Marx et al. p. 2
2018Cetotheriidae Gol'din p. 6
2018Cetotheriidae Tanaka et al. p. 297
2019Cetotheriidae Marx et al. p. 4
2024Cetotheriidae Figueiredo et al. p. 6

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
subclassSynapsida
—Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
—Mammaliamorpha
—Mammaliaformes
RankNameAuthor
classMammalia
—Cladotheria
—Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
—Eutheria()
—Placentalia
—Boreoeutheria
—Laurasiatheria
—Scrotifera
—Euungulata
—Artiodactylamorpha
—Artiodactyla()
—Whippomorpha
orderCetacea
—Pelagiceti
—Neoceti
suborderMysticeti
—Chaeomysticeti()
subfamilyCetotheriidae()
subfamilyCetotheriidae()

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.

Subfm. Cetotheriidae Brandt 1872
show all | hide all
G. †Adicetus Figueiredo et al. 2024
+
†Adicetus latus Kellogg 1940
†Adicetus vandelli Van Beneden and Gervais 1868
G. †Cephalotropis Cope 1896
+
†Cephalotropis nectus Kellogg 1940
Subfm. †Cetotheriinae Whitmore and Barnes 2008
+
G. †Brandtocetus Goldin and Startsev 2014
+
†Brandtocetus chongulek Goldin and Startsev 2014
G. †Cetotherium Brandt 1843
+
†Cetotherium capellinii Brandt 1873
†Cetotherium furlongi Kellogg 1925
†Cetotherium parvum Trouessart 1898
+
Invalid names: Delphinapterus tyrannus Cope 1868 [synonym]
†Cetotherium polyporum Cope 1869
†Cetotherium rathkii Brandt 1843
†Cetotherium riabinini Hofstein 1948
G. †Kurdalagonus Tarasenko and Lopatin 2012
+
†Kurdalagonus maicopicus Spasski 1951
†Kurdalagonus mchedlidzei Tarasenko and Lopatin 2012
G. †Mithridatocetus Goldin and Startsev 2017
+
†Mithridatocetus adygeicus Tarasenko and Lopatin 2012
†Mithridatocetus eichwaldi Goldin and Startsev 2017
Invalid names: Cetotherium mayeri Brandt 1871 [invalid subgroup]
G. †Zygiocetus Tarasenko 2014
+
†Zygiocetus nartorum Tarasenko 2014
G. †Ciuciulea Gol'din 2018
+
†Ciuciulea davidi Gol'din 2018
G. †Cophocetus Packard and Kellogg 1934
+
†Cophocetus oregonensis Packard and Kellogg 1934
G. †Eucetotherium Brandt 1873
+
G. †Herentalia Bisconti 2014
+
†Herentalia nigra Bisconti 2014
Subfm. Herpetocetinae Steeman 2007
+
G. †Herpetocetus Van Beneden 1872
+
†Herpetocetus bramblei Whitmore and Barnes 2008
†Herpetocetus morrowi El Adli et al. 2014
†Herpetocetus scaldiensis Van Beneden 1872
†Herpetocetus sendaicus Hatai et al. 1963
†Herpetocetus transatlanticus Whitmore and Barnes 2008
Invalid names: Mizuhoptera Hatai et al. 1963 [synonym]
G. †Nannocetus Kellogg 1929
+
†Nannocetus eremus Kellogg 1929
G. †Heterocetus Capellini 1877
+
†Heterocetus brevifrons Van Beneden 1872
†Heterocetus guiscardii Capellini 1877
†Heterocetus major Stefano 1900
†Heterocetus scriptus Vanden Broeck 1874
Invalid names: Heterocetus sprangii Van Beneden 1886 [nomen dubium]
G. †Hibacetus Otsuka and Ota 2008
+
†Hibacetus hirosei Otsuka and Ota 2008
G. †Imerocetus Mchedlidze 1964
+
†Imerocetus karaganicus Mchedlidze 1964
G. †Joumocetus Kimura and Hasegawa 2010
+
†Joumocetus shimizui Kimura and Hasegawa 2010
G. †Metopocetus Cope 1896
+
†Metopocetus durinasus Cope 1896
†Metopocetus hunteri Marx et al. 2016
Subfm. Neobalaeninae Miller 1923 [pygmy right whale]
+
G. Caperea Gray 1864
+
Caperea marginata Gray 1846 [pygmy right whale]
+
Invalid names: Balaena (Caperea) antipodarum Gray 1864 [synonym]
Invalid names: Neobalaena Gray 1870 [synonym]
G. †Miocaperea Bisconti 2012
+
†Miocaperea pulchra Bisconti 2012
G. †Palaeobalaena Moreno 1882
+
†Palaeobalaena bergi Moreno 1882
G. †Piscobalaena Pilleri and Siber 1989
+
†Piscobalaena nana Pilleri and Siber 1989
G. †Taikicetus Tanaka et al. 2018
+
†Taikicetus inouei Tanaka et al. 2018
G. †Titanocetus Bisconti 2006
+
†Titanocetus sammarinensis Capellini 1901
G. †Tiucetus Marx et al. 2017
+
†Tiucetus rosae Marx et al. 2017
G. †Tranatocetus Gol'din and Steeman 2015
+
†Tranatocetus maregermanicum Marx et al. 2019
G. †Vampalus Tarasenko and Lopatin 2012
+
†Vampalus sayasanicus Tarasenko and Lopatin 2012
Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
P. Goldin et al. 2014Toothless mysticetes characterised by (i) strongly telescoped facial bones, with the anterior margin of the nasal located at or posterior to the level of the antorbital notch, the ascending processes of the maxilla extending posteriorly to the level of the postorbital process of the frontal, and the combined posterior edges of the nasal, premaxilla and maxilla being wedge-shaped and extending almost to the tip of the occipital shield (X-shaped vertex); (ii) ascending processes of the maxillae with concave lateral margins (in dorsal view), contacting medially or approximating each other at their posterior apices; (iii) a dorsoventrally thickened distal portion of the lateral process of the maxilla; (iv) a distally widened supraorbital process of the frontal; (v) a shallow glenoid fossa; (vi) a supraoccipital shield extending no further anteriorly than the line joining the postorbital processes of the frontals; (vii) a paroccipital process extending posterior to the posterior edge of the occipital condyle in dorsal view; (viii) a transversely narrow sigmoid process of the tympanic bulla lacking an inflated base; (ix) a well-developed anterior pro- cess and lateral tuberosity of the periotic; (x) a short posterior process of the tympanoperiotic with a flattened distal surface broadly exposed on the posterolateral wall of the skull; and (xi) a mandible having an angular process extending posterior to the condyle, a condyle oriented obliquely to the long axis of the body, and a small and laterally bent coronoid process.