PBDB Taxon

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Mesoplodon layardii (strap-toothed whale)

Mammalia - Cetacea - Ziphiidae

Taxonomy

Ziphius layardii was named by Gray (1865). It is extant. Its type specimen is BMNH 69.4.5.2, a skull. Its type locality is Cape of Good Hope, which is in a Holocene coastal horizon in South Africa.

It was recombined as Dolichodon layardii by Gray (1868), Gray (1871) and Van Beneden and Gervais (1880); it was recombined as Mesoplodon layardi by Hector (1878), Trouessart (1904), Turner (1912), Oliver (1922), McCann (1962), Scheffer and Rice (1963) and Hershkovitz (1966); it was recombined as Mesoplodon (Dolichodon) layardi by Moore (1968); it was recombined as Mesoplodon layardii by Scott (1873), Hector (1873), Mead (1989), van Helden et al. (2002), Mead and Brownell (2005), Agnarsson and May-Collado (2008), Ramassamy (2016), Lambert and Louwye (2016) and Lambert et al. (2018).

Synonyms

Mesoplodon longirostris was named by Gray (1873) [Gray attributes this name to a manuscript by Kreft]. It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Mesoplodon layardi by Hershkovitz (1966); it was synonymized subjectively with Mesoplodon layardii by Mead and Brownell (2005).
Mesoplodon guntheri was named by Krefft (1871). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Mesoplodon layardii by Mead and Brownell (2005).
Mesoplodon thomsoni was named by Ogilby (1896). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Mesoplodon layardi by Mead and Brownell (2005).
Mesoplodon floweri was named by Lydekker (1887) [Attributed by Lydekker (1887) to Canham MS.]. It is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Felixstow, which is in a Gelasian foreshore horizon in the Red Crag Formation of the United Kingdom.

It was corrected as Mesoplodon floris by Newton (1890), Newton (1891), Trouessart (1898), Trouessart (1904) and Osborn (1922); it was synonymized subjectively with Mesoplodon longirostris by Abel (1905); it was synonymized subjectively with Mesoplodon layardi by Hershkovitz (1966); it was synonymized subjectively with Mesoplodon layardii by Mead and Brownell (2005).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1865	Ziphius layardii Gray
1866	Ziphius layardii Gray p. 353
1868	Dolichodon layardii Gray p. 10
1870	Ziphius layardii Owen p. 26
1871	Dolichodon layardii Gray p. 101
1871	Mesoplodon guntheri Krefft
1873	Mesoplodon longirostris Gray p. 144 figs. not figured
1873	Mesoplodon layardii Hector p. 615
1873	Mesoplodon layardii Scott p. 117
1878	Mesoplodon layardi Hector p. 341
1880	Dolichodon layardii Van Beneden and Gervais p. 402
1887	Mesoplodon floweri Lydekker
1890	Mesoplodon floris Newton p. 448 figs. Pl. 18, Fig. 7
1891	Mesoplodon floris Newton p. 73
1896	Mesoplodon thomsoni Ogilby
1898	Mesoplodon floris Trouessart p. 1066
1904	Mesoplodon floris Trouessart p. 778
1904	Mesoplodon layardi Trouessart p. 778
1912	Mesoplodon layardi Turner p. 92
1922	Mesoplodon layardi Oliver p. 574
1922	Mesoplodon floris Osborn p. 436
1962	Mesoplodon layardi McCann figs. Plate 2 Fig, 5
1963	Mesoplodon layardi Scheffer and Rice p. 8
1966	Mesoplodon layardi Hershkovitz p. 134
1968	Mesoplodon (Dolichodon) layardi Moore p. 278
1989	Mesoplodon layardii Mead p. 366
2002	Mesoplodon layardii van Helden et al. p. 615
2005	Mesoplodon layardii Mead and Brownell p. 742
2008	Mesoplodon layardii Agnarsson and May-Collado p. 981 figs. Fig. 5
2016	Mesoplodon layardii Lambert and Louwye
2016	Mesoplodon layardii Ramassamy p. 398 figs. Figure 17
2018	Mesoplodon layardii Lambert et al. p. 147

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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	layardii	(Gray 1865)

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 layardii Gray 1865 [strap-toothed whale]

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Invalid names: Mesoplodon floweri Lydekker 1887 [synonym], Mesoplodon guntheri Krefft 1871 [synonym], Mesoplodon longirostris Gray 1873 [synonym], Mesoplodon thomsoni Ogilby 1896 [synonym]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

No measurements are available

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: Uhen 2004, Nowak 1991

Age range: base of the Gelasian to the top of the Holocene or 2.58800 to 0.00000 Ma

Collections (5 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Late/Upper Miocene - Holocene	11.608 - 0.0	French Southern Territories	Mesoplodon layardii (192396 192397 192398)
Gelasian	2.588 - 1.806	United Kingdom (England)	Mesoplodon floweri (48093)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	South Africa	Ziphius layardii (type locality: 86897)