PBDB Taxon

Basic info	Taxonomic history	Classification	Included Taxa
Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	External Literature Search	Age range and collections

Squalodontidae

Mammalia - Cetacea - Squalodontidae

Taxonomy

Squalodontidae was named by Brandt (1873). It is not extant. It was considered monophyletic by Uhen et al. (2008) and Barnes and Reynolds (2009).

It was assigned to Odontoceta by Ameghino (1894); to Cetacea by Newton (1891) and Rhoads (1903); to Odontocete by Hay (1902) and Hay (1930); to Squaloceti by Abel (1914), Abel (1919), Dal Piaz (1929) and Van Deinse (1931); to Archaeoceti by Paquier (1894) and Benham (1935); to Squalodontoidea by Simpson (1945), Rothausen (1961), Rothausen (1968), Ginsburg and Janvier (1971), Barnes et al. (1985), Pilleri (1987), Vidal (1991), McKenna and Bell (1997) and Dubrovo and Sanders (2000); to Platanistoidea by Muizon (1984), Muizon (1987), Muizon (1990), Muizon (1994), Fordyce and Barnes (1994), Fordyce et al. (1995), Rice (1998), Fordyce and de Muizon (2001), Rice (2002), Gingerich (2005), Godfrey et al. (2006), Barnes (2006), Bianucci and Landini (2007), Whitmore and Kaltenbach (2008), Uhen et al. (2008), Rice (2009), Barnes and Reynolds (2009), Bianucci et al. (2011), Carone and Marra (2014), Aguirre-Fernández and Fordyce (2014) and Marx et al. (2016); to Odontoceti by Winge (1921), Slijper (1936), Geisler et al. (2011) and Berta (2017); to Stegoceti by Boessenecker and Geisler (2023); and to Odontoceti by Lydekker (1887), Cope (1889), Cope (1890), Zittel (1894), Flores (1895), Trouessart (1898), Trouessart (1904), Case (1904), Abel (1905), True (1908), Jaekel (1911), Miller (1923), Zittel (1925), Kellogg (1928), Keyes (1973), Whitmore and Sanders (1977), Whitmore (1984), Pilleri (1985), Carroll (1988), Benton (1993), Sach and Heizmann (2001), Geisler and Sanders (2003), Cahuzac et al. (2005) and Godfrey and Lambert (2023).

Subtaxa

Austrosqualodon, Eosqualodon, Pachyodon, Portheodon, Prosqualodon hamiltoni, Squalodon (syn. Macrophoca, Rhizoprion, Kelloggia, Rhytisodon, Trirhizodon, Smilocomptus, Delphinoides, Arionius, Phocodon, Crenidelphinus), Squalodon andrewi, Squalodon atlanticus, Squalodontinae, Tangaroasaurus, Zeuglodon vredense

Synonyms

Zeuglodon vredense was named by Landois (1844) [No type speciemen designated].

It was considered a nomen dubium by Stromer (1903); it was considered a nomen nudum by Kellogg (1936); it was recombined as Basilosaurus vredensis by Trouessart (1904) and Kalmykov (2012).
Squalodon andrewi was named by Benham (1942) [Otago University. The holotype tooth is missing, but the natural limestone cast of the tooth, an adjacent tooth, and part of the palate, is held as OU C.77.21, formerly part of collection C.75.25.]. Its type specimen is OU C.77.21, a set of teeth, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Clarendon, which is in a Chattian carbonate limestone in the Milburn Limestone Formation of New Zealand.

It was considered an invalid subgroup of Squalodontoidea by Fordyce (1980); it was considered a nomen dubium by Fordyce (1991); it was considered an invalid subgroup of Squalodontidae by Fordyce and Roberts (2009).
Prosqualodon hamiltoni was named by Benham (1937) [also C.77.10 lectotype]. Its type specimen is OM C.02.08, a partial skeleton, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Milburn Quarry, which is in a Chattian carbonate limestone in the Milburn Limestone Formation of New Zealand.

It was considered an invalid subgroup of Odontoceti by Sanders et al. (1982); it was considered an invalid subgroup of Prosqualodon by Fordyce (1991); it was considered an invalid subgroup of Squalodontidae by Fordyce and Roberts (2009).
Pachyodon was named by Meyer (1838). It is not extant.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Kellogg (1923); it was synonymized subjectively with Squalodon by Lydekker (1887), Zittel (1894), Trouessart (1898), Dal Piaz (1916) and Zittel (1925).

It was assigned to Zeuglodontae by Bronn (1853).
Macrophoca atlantica was named by Leidy (1856) [ANSP 11218 was designated as the lectotype by Dooley, 2003 with ANSP 11217 and ANSP 11219 as paralectotypes]. Its type specimen is ANSP 11218, a set of teeth (3 molar teeth), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Shiloh Marl, which is in a Burdigalian marginal marine marl in the Kirkwood Formation of New Jersey. It is the type species of Macrophoca.

It was recombined as Squalodon atlantica by Cope (1867), Roger (1887), Case (1904) and Kellogg (1923); it was recombined as Squalodon atlanticum by Dal Piaz (1916); it was recombined as Basilosaurus atlantica by Allen (1916); it was considered an invalid subgroup of Squalodontidae by Dooley (2003); it was recombined as Squalodon atlanticus by Cope (1868), Cope (1868), Leidy (1869), Cope (1875), Lydekker (1887), Cope (1890), Zittel (1894), Trouessart (1898), Hay (1902), Rhoads (1903), Trouessart (1904), Hay (1930) and Uhen et al. (2008).
Portheodon was named by Gill (1872) [Gill assigns this genus to Cope, but no earlier reference to the name can be found.].

It was synonymized subjectively with Squalodon by Zittel (1894); it was considered a nomen nudum by Palmer (1904).

It was assigned to Cynorcidae by Gill (1872).
Mesoceti was named by Dames (1894). It is not extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Squalodontidae by Trouessart (1898).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1838	Pachyodon Meyer p. 414
1844	Zeuglodon vredense Landois p. 49
1853	Pachyodon Bronn p. 774
1867	Squalodon atlantica Cope
1868	Squalodon atlanticus Cope p. 166
1869	Squalodon atlanticus Leidy p. 416
1872	Portheodon Gill
1873	Squalodontidae Brandt p. 576
1875	Squalodon atlanticus Cope p. 363
1887	Squalodon atlanticus Lydekker p. 75
1887	Squalodontidae Lydekker p. 75
1887	Squalodon atlantica Roger p. 27
1889	Squalodontidae Cope p. 876
1890	Squalodontidae Cope p. 602
1890	Squalodon atlanticus Cope p. 603
1891	Squalodontidae Newton p. 75
1894	Squalodontidae Ameghino p. 436
1894	Mesoceti Dames
1894	Squalodontidae Paquier p. 5
1894	Zeuglodon vredense Zittel p. 168
1894	Squalodontidae Zittel p. 169
1894	Squalodon atlanticus Zittel p. 171
1895	Squalodontidae Flores p. 11
1898	Zeuglodon vredensis Trouessart p. 1010
1898	Squalodontidae Trouessart p. 1012
1898	Squalodon atlanticus Trouessart p. 1015
1902	Squalodontidae Hay p. 588
1902	Squalodon atlanticus Hay p. 589
1903	Squalodon atlanticus Rhoads p. 247
1903	Squalodontidae Rhoads p. 247
1904	Squalodon atlantica Case p. 6
1904	Squalodontidae Case p. 6
1904	Basilosaurus vredensis Trouessart p. 753
1904	Squalodontidae Trouessart p. 754
1904	Squalodon atlanticus Trouessart p. 756
1905	Squalodontidae Abel p. 46
1908	Squalodontidae True p. 391
1911	Squalodontidae Jaekel p. 231
1914	Squalodontidae Abel p. 221
1916	Basilosaurus atlantica Allen
1916	Squalodon atlanticum Dal Piaz p. 8
1919	Squalodontidae Abel p. 762
1921	Squalodontidae Winge p. 7
1923	Squalodon atlantica Kellogg p. 7
1923	Squalodontidae Miller p. 40
1925	Squalodontidae Zittel p. 85
1928	Squalodontidae Kellogg p. 32 figs. Table 1
1929	Squalodontidae Dal Piaz p. 73
1930	Squalodontidae Hay p. 580
1930	Squalodon atlanticus Hay p. 581
1931	Squalodontidae Van Deinse p. 33
1935	Squalodontidae Benham p. 243
1936	Squalodontidae Slijper p. 543
1937	Prosqualodon hamiltoni Benham pp. 8-9
1942	Squalodon andrewi Benham pp. 267-268
1942	Prosqualodon hamiltoni Kellogg p. 447
1945	Squalodontidae Simpson p. 100
1961	Squalodontidae Rothausen p. 113
1968	Squalodontidae Rothausen p. 87
1971	Squalodontidae Ginsburg and Janvier p. 167
1973	Prosqualodon hamiltoni Keyes p. 389
1973	Squalodon andrewi Keyes p. 389
1973	Squalodontidae Keyes p. 389
1977	Squalodontidae Whitmore and Sanders p. 305
1980	Prosqualodon hamiltoni Fordyce p. iii figs. Table 2
1984	Squalodontidae Muizon p. 68
1984	Squalodontidae Whitmore p. 230
1985	Squalodontidae Barnes et al. p. 25
1985	Squalodontidae Pilleri p. 11
1987	Squalodontidae Muizon p. 13
1987	Squalodontidae Pilleri p. 147
1988	Squalodontidae Carroll
1990	Squalodontidae Muizon p. 312
1991	Squalodontidae Vidal p. 5
1993	Squalodontidae Benton p. 761
1994	Squalodontidae Fordyce and Barnes p. 429 figs. Table 1
1994	Squalodontidae Muizon p. 136
1995	Squalodontidae Fordyce et al. p. 379
1997	Squalodontidae McKenna and Bell p. 373
1998	Squalodontidae Rice
2000	Squalodontidae Dubrovo and Sanders p. 580
2001	Squalodontidae Fordyce and de Muizon p. 178
2001	Squalodontidae Sach and Heizmann p. 42
2002	Squalodontidae Rice p. 231 figs. Table 1
2003	Squalodontidae Geisler and Sanders p. 28
2005	Squalodontidae Cahuzac et al. p. 420
2005	Squalodontidae Gingerich p. 237 figs. Table 15.1
2006	Squalodontidae Barnes p. 32
2006	Squalodontidae Godfrey et al. p. 68A
2007	Squalodontidae Bianucci and Landini p. 45 figs. Table 2.1
2008	Squalodon atlanticus Uhen et al. p. 583
2008	Squalodontidae Uhen et al. p. 583
2008	Squalodontidae Whitmore and Kaltenbach p. 183
2009	Squalodontidae Barnes and Reynolds p. 487
2009	Squalodontidae Rice p. 235 figs. Table 1
2011	Squalodontidae Bianucci et al. p. 560
2011	Squalodontidae Geisler et al. p. 5 figs. Table 1
2012	Basilosaurus vredensis Kalmykov p. 179
2014	Squalodontidae Aguirre-Fernández and Fordyce p. 195
2014	Squalodontidae Carone and Marra p. 122
2016	Squalodontidae Marx et al. p. 120
2017	Squalodontidae Berta p. 160
2023	Squalodontidae Boessenecker and Geisler p. 152
2023	Squalodontidae Godfrey and Lambert p. 53

Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data

Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
—	Osteichthyes	()
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
subclass	Synapsida
—	Therapsida	()
infraorder	Cynodontia	()
—	Mammaliamorpha
—	Mammaliaformes

Rank	Name	Author
class	Mammalia
—	Cladotheria
—	Zatheria
subclass	Tribosphenida	()
subclass	Theria
—	Eutheria	()
—	Placentalia
—	Boreoeutheria
—	Laurasiatheria
—	Scrotifera
—	Euungulata
—	Artiodactylamorpha
—	Artiodactyla	()
—	Whippomorpha
order	Cetacea
—	Pelagiceti
—	Neoceti
suborder	Odontoceti
—	Amblyoccipita
—	Stegoceti
family	Squalodontidae
family	Squalodontidae

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.

Fm. †Squalodontidae Brandt 1873

show all | hide all

G. †Austrosqualodon Climo and Baker 1972

†Austrosqualodon trirhizodonta Climo and Baker 1972

G. †Eosqualodon Rothausen 1968

†Eosqualodon langewieschei Rothausen 1968

†Eosqualodon latirostris Capellini 1903

G. †Squalodon Grateloup 1840

†Squalodon antverpiensis Van Beneden 1861

†Squalodon antverpiensis papillatus Rothausen 1968

†Squalodon antverpiensis antverpiensis Rothausen 1968

†Squalodon barbarus Mchedlidze and Aslanova 1968

†Squalodon bariensis Jourdan 1861

†Squalodon bellunensis Dal Piaz 1901

†Squalodon bordae Gervais 1852

†Squalodon calvertensis Kellogg 1923

†Squalodon catulli Molin 1859

†Squalodon dalpiazi Fabiani 1949

†Squalodon grateloupii von Meyer 1843

Invalid names: Delphinoides gratelupi Pedroni 1845 [objective synonym], Squalodon burgueti Gervais 1849 [synonym], Squalodon grateloupii Gervais 1846 [objective synonym]

†Squalodon hypsispondylus Brandt 1874

†Squalodon imperator Cigala-Fulgosi and Pilleri 1985

†Squalodon linzianus Brandt 1871

†Squalodon melitensis Blainville 1840

Invalid names: Squalodon scillae Agassiz 1841 [synonym]

†Squalodon meyeri Brandt 1873

†Squalodon mirabilis Meyer 1838

†Squalodon molassicus Bronn 1837

†Squalodon murdochi Godfrey and Lambert 2023

†Squalodon peregrinus Dal Piaz 1971

†Squalodon rugidens Meyer 1845

†Squalodon servatus Meyer 1841

†Squalodon vocontiorum Delfortrie 1874

†Squalodon whitmorei Dooley 2005

†Squalodon zitteli Paquier 1894

Invalid names: Arionius Meyer 1841 [synonym], Crenidelphinus Laurillard 1844 [synonym], Delphinoides Pedroni 1845 [synonym], Kelloggia Mchedlidze 1976 [synonym], Macrophoca Leidy 1856 [synonym], Phoca pedronii Gervais 1849 [invalid subgroup], Phocodon Agassiz 1841 [synonym], Priscodelphinus validus Du Bus 1872 [nomen nudum], Rhizoprion Jourdan 1861 [synonym], Rhytisodon Costa 1852 [synonym], Smilocomptus Gervais 1849 [synonym], Squalodon quaternarium Forsyth Major 1879 [nomen nudum], Trirhizodon Cope 1890 [synonym]

G. †Tangaroasaurus Benham 1935

†Tangaroasaurus kakanuiensis Benham 1935

Invalid names: Mesoceti Dames 1894 [synonym], Pachyodon Meyer 1838 [nomen dubium], Portheodon Gill 1872 [nomen nudum], Prosqualodon hamiltoni Benham 1937 [invalid subgroup], Squalodon andrewi Benham 1942 [invalid subgroup], Squalodon atlanticus Leidy 1856 [invalid subgroup], Squalodontinae Rothausen 1968 [empty], Zeuglodon vredense Landois 1844 [nomen nudum]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available