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

Titanocetus sammarinensis

Osteichthyes - Cetacea

Taxonomy
Titanocetus sammariensis was named by Capellini (1901). It is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Luigi Reffi quarry, Monte Titano, which is in a Burdigalian/Langhian marine mixed carbonate-siliciclastic in the Monte Fumaiolo Formation of San Marino.

Synonymy list
No taxonomic opinions are available

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

RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
classOsteichthyes
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
subclassSynapsida
—Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
—Mammaliamorpha
—Mammaliaformes
RankNameAuthor
classMammalia
—Cladotheria
—Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
—Eutheria()
—Placentalia
—Boreoeutheria
—Laurasiatheria
—Scrotifera
—Euungulata
—Artiodactylamorpha
—Artiodactyla()
—Whippomorpha
orderCetacea
—Pelagiceti
—Neoceti
suborderMysticeti
—Chaeomysticeti()
subfamilyCetotheriidae()
genusTitanocetus
speciessammarinensis()

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.

†Titanocetus sammarinensis Capellini 1901
show all | hide all
Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
M. Bisconti 2006The following characters distinguish T. sammarin- ensis from all the other mysticetes: anterior border of supraoc- cipital round and wide; deep and basin-like depression on dorsal surface of supraoccipital; medial portion of interorbital region of frontal exposed dorsally posterior to nasofrontal suture and tri- angular; ventromedial border of maxilla forming transversely round and ventrally protruding double keel; nasal contacts pari- etal posteriorly; ascending process of maxilla contacting poste- rior portion of nasal; in axis, distal ends of parapophysis and diapophysis free and foramen transversarium laterally delimited by dorsoventral projection originating from ventral edge of di- apophysis. Titanocetus sammarinensis shares with balaenopterids and Cetotherium-like mysticetes the following characters: defi- nite ascending process of maxilla present; posteromedial ele- ments of rostrum (including ascending process of maxilla, pre- maxilla, and nasal) superimposed on interorbital region of fron- tal; coronal suture posterior to posteromedial corner of maxilla; parietals divided anteriorly by interposition of interorbital region of frontal; anterior end of nasal bones located approximately on transverse line connecting antorbital corners of supraorbital pro- cesses of frontal; anterior margin of supraoccipital not extended anteriorly beyond anterior tip of zygomatic process of squamo- sal. Titanocetus sammarinensis shares with cetotheriid-grade mysticetes the following characters: posterior border of maxilla oblique (anterolateral corner of maxilla more anterior than pos- teromedial corner); proximal portion of supraorbital process of frontal gently descending from interorbital region; strong bulg- ing of parietal and squamosal into temporal fossa (shared also with the gray whale Eschrichtius robustus); glenoid cavity of squamosal (cranio-mandibular joint) straight in lateral view (shared also with gray whale Eschrichtius robustus); posterior apex of lambdoidal crest posterior to occipital condyles; parietals exposed on laterodorsal wall of skull. The lack of the antorbital notch is only shared with Parietobalaena palmeri and Aglaocetus moreni.