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Squalodon melitensis

Mammalia - Cetacea - Squalodontidae

Taxonomy
Phoca melitensis was named by Blainville (1840) [On p 46 this species is called Phoca dubia melitensis Kellogg (1923) states that the type specimen is in the Cambridge University Museum, England.]. It is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Malta General, which is in a Chattian/Langhian marine phosphorite in the Globigerina Limestone Formation of Malta.

It was synonymized subjectively with Squalodon scillae by Trouessart (1898); it was recombined as Squalodon melitensis by McCoy (1867), Brandt (1873), Kellogg (1923), Rothausen (1968) and Symeonidis et al. (2004).

Sister species lacking formal opinion data
S. grateloupii

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1840Phoca melitensis Blainville pp. 46, 51 figs. plate 10, fig. 4
1841Phocodon scillae Agassiz p. 236
1867Squalodon melitensis McCoy p. 145
1873Squalodon melitensis Brandt p. 330
1873Squalodon scillae Brandt p. 330
1874Squalodon scillae Brandt p. III
1898Squalodon scillae Trouessart p. 1013
1904Squalodon scillae Trouessart p. 755
1916Phocodon scillae Dal Piaz p. 14
1922Squalodon scillae Kellogg p. 126
1923Squalodon melitensis Kellogg p. 24
1968Squalodon melitensis Rothausen p. 91 figs. Table 1
2004Squalodon melitensis Symeonidis et al. p. 319 figs. Table 2

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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
classMammalia
—Theriamorpha(Rowe 1993)
RankNameAuthor
—Theriiformes()
—Trechnotheria
—Cladotheria
—Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
—Eutheria()
—Placentalia
—Boreoeutheria
—Laurasiatheria
—Scrotifera
—Euungulata
—Artiodactylamorpha
—Artiodactyla()
—Whippomorpha
orderCetacea
—Pelagiceti
—Neoceti
suborderOdontoceti
—Amblyoccipita
—Stegoceti
familySqualodontidae
genusSqualodon
speciesmelitensis()

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.

†Squalodon melitensis Blainville 1840
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Invalid names: Squalodon scillae Agassiz 1841 [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: carnivoresubo
Reproduction: viviparoussubo
Created: 2005-03-06 14:21:39
Modified: 2005-09-22 15:42:08
Source: subo = suborder, o = order
Reference: Uhen 2004

Age range: base of the Burdigalian to the top of the Langhian or 20.44000 to 13.82000 Ma

Collections (2 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Chattian - Langhian28.1 - 13.82Malta Phoca melitensis, Phocodon scillae (type locality: 48661)
Burdigalian - Messinian20.44 - 5.333Italy (Apulia) Squalodon scillae, Phocodon scillae (47125)