Metopocetus

Metopocetus Temporal range: Miocene, 13.8–16 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Infraorder:	Cetacea
Family:	Cetotheriidae
Subfamily:	†Herpetocetinae
Genus:	†Metopocetus Cope, 1896
Species
†M. durinasus Cope, 1896 (type) †M. hunteri Marx, Bosselaers, and Louwye, 2016

Metopocetus is an extinct genus of baleen whale belonging to the family Cetotheriidae. The type species is Metopocetus durinasus.

Description

Metopocetus is diagnosable by lateral occipital crests continuous with temporal crests that diverge forward, as well as elongate frontals, and short nasal bones that project posterior to frontals.^[1]

Location

Metopocetus durinasus is known only from the middle Miocene (Langhian) Calvert Beach Member of the Calvert Formation of Westmoreland County, Virginia. Its type specimen is USNM 8518.^[2] On the other hand, Metopocetus hunteri is based on a partial cranium from the Breda Formation of the Netherlands.^[3]

References

1. E. D. Cope. 1896. Sixth contribution to the knowledge of the marine Miocene fauna of North America. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 35(150):139-146
2. M. D. Uhen, R. E. Fordyce, and L. G. Barnes. 2008. Mysticeti. In C. M. Janis, K. M. Scott, and L. L. Jacobs (eds.), Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America II:607-628
3. Marx FG, Bosselaers MEJ, Louwye S. (2016) A new species of Metopocetus (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Cetotheriidae) from the Late Miocene of the Netherlands. PeerJ 4:e1572 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1572