PBDB Taxon

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Mesoplodon bidens

Mammalia - Cetacea - Ziphiidae

Taxonomy

Physeter bidens was named by Sowerby (1804). It is extant. Its type specimen is University of Oxford museum, a skeleton. Its type locality is Brodie House, which is in a Holocene coastal horizon in the United Kingdom. It is the type species of Mesoplodon.

It was synonymized subjectively with Aodon dalei by Lesson (1828); it was synonymized subjectively with Delphinorhynchus sowerbyi by Gray (1846); it was synonymized subjectively with Ziphius sowerbiensis by Gray (1846); it was synonymized subjectively with Ziphius sowerbii by Owen (1870); it was recombined as Mesoplodon bidens by Trouessart (1904), Turner (1912), Scheffer and Rice (1963), Hershkovitz (1966), Moore (1968), Mead (1989), Rice (1998), Mead and Brownell (2005), Agnarsson and May-Collado (2008) and Uhen et al. (2008).

Synonyms

Delphinus sowerbensis was named by de Blainville (1817). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Mesoplodon bidens by Mead and Brownell (2005).
Delphinus sowerbiensis was named by Blainville (1817) [type housed in the Museum of the University of Oxford, no number listed by Hershkovitz 1966].

It was recombined as Ziphius sowerbiensis by Gray (1846), Gray (1850), Gray (1864), Gray (1866), Gray (1868) and Gray (1871); it was recombined as Mesoplodon sowerbiensis by Gervais (1850), Scott (1873) and Van Beneden and Gervais (1880); it was recombined as Micropteron sowerbiensis by Huxley (1864); it was recombined as Ziphius sowerbii by Owen (1870); it was recombined as Mesoplodon sowerbensis by Hay (1902); it was misspelled as Ziphius sowerbensis by Gervais (1852); it was synonymized subjectively with Mesoplodon bidens by Hershkovitz (1966) and Mead and Brownell (2005).
Aodon dalei was named by Lesson (1828). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Physeter bidens by Hershkovitz (1966); it was synonymized subjectively with Mesoplodon bidens by Mead and Brownell (2005).
Delphinus micropterus was named by Cuvier (1829). It is extant.

It was recombined as Delphinorhynchus micropterus by Cuvier (1836), Gray (1846) and Gray (1850); it was synonymized subjectively with Delphinorhynchus sowerbyi by Gray (1846); it was recombined as Mesodiodon micropterum by Duvernoy (1851); it was recombined as Micropteron micropterus by Huxley (1864); it was recombined as Ziphius micropterus by Owen (1870); it was synonymized subjectively with Mesoplodon bidens by Hershkovitz (1966) and Mead and Brownell (2005).
Delphinus sowerbyi was named by Desmarest (1822). It is extant.

It was recombined as Delphinorhynchus sowerbyi by Gray (1846); it was recombined as Mesoplodon sowerbyi by Duvernoy (1851); it was synonymized subjectively with Mesoplodon bidens by Mead and Brownell (2005).
Heterodon dalei was named by Lesson (1827). It is extant.

It was recombined as Delphinus dalei by Fischer (1829); it was synonymized subjectively with Delphinorhynchus sowerbyi by Gray (1846); it was synonymized subjectively with Mesoplodon bidens by Hershkovitz (1966).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1804	Physeter bidens Sowerby p. 310
1817	Delphinus sowerbiensis Blainville p. 177
1817	Delphinus sowerbensis de Blainville
1822	Delphinus sowerbyi Desmarest
1827	Heterodon dalei Lesson p. 419
1828	Aodon dalei Lesson p. 155 figs. Plate 3, Figure 1
1829	Delphinus micropterus Cuvier
1829	Delphinus dalei Fischer p. 514
1836	Delphinorhynchus micropterus Cuvier
1846	Ziphius sowerbiensis Gray p. 27
1846	Delphinorhynchus micropterus Gray p. 28
1846	Delphinorhynchus sowerbyi Gray p. 84
1850	Mesoplodon sowerbiensis Gervais p. 16
1850	Ziphius sowerbiensis Gray p. 70
1850	Delphinorhynchus micropterus Gray p. 73
1851	Mesodiodon micropterum Duvernoy p. 69
1851	Mesoplodon sowerbyi Duvernoy p. 69
1852	Ziphius sowerbensis Gervais p. 153
1864	Ziphius sowerbiensis Gray p. 241
1864	Micropteron micropterus Huxley p. 395
1864	Micropteron sowerbiensis Huxley p. 395
1866	Ziphius sowerbiensis Gray p. 350
1868	Ziphius sowerbiensis Gray p. 10
1870	Ziphius micropterus Owen p. 28
1870	Ziphius sowerbii Owen p. 33
1871	Ziphius sowerbiensis Gray p. 101
1873	Mesoplodon sowerbiensis Scott p. 116
1880	Mesoplodon sowerbiensis Van Beneden and Gervais p. 393
1902	Mesoplodon sowerbensis Hay p. 597
1904	Mesoplodon bidens Trouessart p. 778
1912	Mesoplodon bidens Turner p. 87
1963	Mesoplodon bidens Scheffer and Rice p. 8
1966	Mesoplodon bidens Hershkovitz p. 127
1968	Mesoplodon bidens Moore p. 277
1989	Mesoplodon bidens Mead p. 355
1998	Mesoplodon bidens Rice p. 90
2005	Mesoplodon bidens Mead and Brownell p. 741
2008	Mesoplodon bidens Agnarsson and May-Collado p. 981 figs. Fig. 5
2008	Mesoplodon bidens Uhen et al. p. 579

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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
class	Mammalia
—	Cladotheria

Rank	Name	Author
—	Zatheria
subclass	Tribosphenida	()
subclass	Theria
—	Eutheria	()
—	Placentalia
—	Boreoeutheria
—	Laurasiatheria
—	Scrotifera
—	Euungulata
—	Artiodactylamorpha
—	Artiodactyla	()
—	Whippomorpha
order	Cetacea
—	Pelagiceti
—	Neoceti
suborder	Odontoceti
—	Amblyoccipita
—	Stegoceti
family	Ziphiidae
—	Vomeroziphii
subfamily	Hyperoodontinae
genus	Mesoplodon
species	bidens	(Sowerby 1804)

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.

Mesoplodon bidens Sowerby 1804

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Invalid names: Aodon dalei Lesson 1828 [synonym], Delphinus micropterus Cuvier 1829 [synonym], Delphinus sowerbensis de Blainville 1817 [synonym], Heterodon dalei Lesson 1827 [synonym], Mesoplodon sowerbiensis Blainville 1817 [synonym], Mesoplodon sowerbyi Desmarest 1822 [synonym]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

part	N	mean

Composition:

hydroxyapatitesubo

Form:

roller-shapedo

Ontogeny:

modification of partso

Environment:

marine, freshwatersubo

Locomotion:

actively mobileo

Life habit:

aquatico

Depth habitat:

surfaceo

Diet:

piscivoref

Diet 2:

carnivoref

Reproduction:

viviparoussubo

Created:

2005-06-08 10:11:10

Modified:

2005-06-08 12:11:10

Source: f = family, subo = suborder, o = order

References: Nowak 1991, Uhen 2004

Age range: Holocene or 0.01170 to 0.00000 Ma

Collections: one only

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	United Kingdom (Scotland)	Physeter bidens (type locality: 86911)