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Waharoa
Taxonomy
Waharoa was named by Boessenecker and Fordyce (2015).
It was assigned to Eomysticetidae by Boessenecker and Fordyce (2015), Fordyce and Marx (2016), Marx et al. (2016), Tsai and Kohno (2017), Berta (2017), Boessenecker and Fordyce (2017), Boessenecker and Fordyce (2017), Fordyce and Marx (2018), Robinson et al. (2024).
It was assigned to Eomysticetidae by Boessenecker and Fordyce (2015), Fordyce and Marx (2016), Marx et al. (2016), Tsai and Kohno (2017), Berta (2017), Boessenecker and Fordyce (2017), Boessenecker and Fordyce (2017), Fordyce and Marx (2018), Robinson et al. (2024).
Species
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Waharoa Boessenecker and Fordyce |
| 2016 | Waharoa Fordyce and Marx p. 114 figs. Fig. 4 |
| 2016 | Waharoa Marx et al. p. 107 |
| 2017 | Waharoa Berta p. 167 |
| 2017 | Waharoa Boessenecker and Fordyce |
| 2017 | Waharoa Tsai and Kohno |
| 2018 | Waharoa Fordyce and Marx p. 5 figs. Fig. 4 |
| 2024 | Waharoa Robinson et al. p. 577 |
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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.
G. †Waharoa Boessenecker and Fordyce 2015
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†Waharoa ruwhenua Boessenecker and Fordyce 2015
Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| R. W. Boessenecker and R. E. Fordyce 2015 | Waharoa ruwhenua is a relatively small-bodied mysticete (5–6 m estimated adult body length) with archaic features differing from crown Mysticeti including: an anteriorly placed bony nares, anteroposteriorly elongate and narrow intertemporal region, temporal fossae longer than wide, firmly closed naso-premaxilla and naso-frontal sutures, transversely broad median palatal keel, elongate and anteriorly directed zygomatic processes that extend anterior to the occipital shield apex, vertically developed falciform process of
the squamosal, anteroposteriorly thickened paroccipital process with pit for stylohyal, trefoil-shaped occipital in posterior view, distinctly concave glenoid fossae of squamosal, unfused anterior and posterior pedicles of the tympanoperiotic, deep lateral pit on periotic, short posterior process of the periotic, well-differentiated lateral and medial lobes of tympanic bulla, horizontal cleft of sigmoid fissure, horizontal crest on posterior surface of medial lobe, tympanic cavity divided by transverse ridge, deeply incised elliptical foramen, double posterior pedicle of bulla, enlarged mandibular foramen and transversely thin “pan bone” of mandible, delicate angular process of the mandible, and vestigial alveoli in premaxilla, maxilla, and mandible. Waharoa ruwhenua differs from archaeocetes and toothed mysticetes in lacking alveoli from the posterior portion of the maxilla and possibly lacking adult dentition, possessing a proportionally more elongate rostrum, unfused fronto-maxilla and maxilla-premaxilla sutures, an orbitotemporal crest that is positioned entirely on the dorsal surface of the frontal, a subrectangular supraorbital process of the frontal that is transversely wider than anteroposteriorly long and at the same level as the nasals, posteroventrally oriented postglenoid processes of the squamosal, an occipital shield that extends anterior to the subtemporal crest, and posterolaterally directed paroccipital processes; differs from Basilosauridae in possessing nasal and premaxilla that extend further posterior than maxilla, nasals with parallel margins, vertical nuchal crests that do not dorsally overhang the posterior margin of the skull, transversely thickened basioccipital crests, pars cochlearis with rounded anteromedial margin and smoothly convex ventral surface, mallear fossa positioned medial to lateral tuberosity, superior process reduced to low ridge with anterior and posterior apices, posterior process of periotic that does not extend to lateral edge of braincase, anteriorly directed zygomatic processes, and humerus similar in length to ulna and radius; from Basilosauridae and Aetiocetidae in possessing a humerus with proximally positioned deltopectoral crest; from Basilosauridae and Balaenidae in possessing ulna and radius that are not anteriorly bowed or distally inflated; from Basilosauridae and Mammalodontidae in possessing a thin lateral edge of the maxilla, palatal foramina and sulci, lacking a firm mandibular symphysis, mandible with parallel dorsal and ventral margins; from Mammalodontidae and Aetiocetidae in more anterior termination of nasals, transversely narrower intertemporal region with high sagittal crest, and anteroposteriorly longer than wide temporal fossa; from Mammalodontidae and Chonecetus in possessing a transverse frontoparietal suture; from all archaeocetes and toothed mysticetes except Chonecetus in numerous supraorbital foramina and deep sulci in the frontal; and from Aetiocetus in lacking orbitotemporal crests that extend posteriorly onto the parietal. Waharoa ruwhenua shares with Aetiocetidae and other Eomysticetidae an elongate posterior meatal crest that extends dorsally along most of the dorsoventral depth of the squamosal and an unfused mandibular symphysis. Waharoa ruwhenua shares with other Eomysticetidae various aforementioned archaic features and, to the exclusion of other Mysticeti, an extremely elongate rostrum and elongate nasals, an anteroposteriorly oriented and longitudinally twisted zygomatic process that lacks a supramastoid crest anterior to the subtemporal crest, a secondary squamosal fossa, and a superior process of the periotic reduced to a low discontinuous ridge with anterior and posterior apices. Waharoa ruwhenua shares with other Eomysticetidae and Cetotheriidae sensu stricto a transversely flattened and blade-like anterior process of the periotic. Waharoa ruwhenua shares Tohoraata and Tokarahia dorsoventrally shallow and wide occipital condyles, a triangular anterior process and well-developed incisural flange of the periotic; with Tohoraata and Tokarahia a concave anterodorsal margin of the anterior process of the periotic and a smooth and transversely convex posterior bullar facet; with Tohoraata a distinct lateral tubercle on the anterior process; and with Eomysticetus and Micromysticetus a short posterior process. |
Measurements
No measurements are available
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| Source: subo = suborder, o = order | |||||
| Reference: Uhen 2004 | |||||
Age range: base of the Duntroonian to the top of the Aquitanian or 27.30000 to 20.45000 Ma
Collections (4 total)
| Time interval | Ma | Country or state | Original ID and collection number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duntroonian | New Zealand (North Otago) | W. ruwhenua (45450) | |
| Late/Upper Oligocene | New Zealand (South Island) | W. ruwhenua (173285 173286) | |
| Aquitanian | New Zealand (South Island) | W. sp. (189023) |