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| Morphology | Ecology and taphonomy | External Literature Search | Age range and collections |
Protoglobicephala mexicana
Taxonomy
Protoglobicephala mexicana was named by Aguirre-Fernández et al. (2009). Its type specimen is UABCS/ISJ/3008, a partial skull, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Los Placeritos, which is in a Piacenzian transition zone/lower shoreface sandstone in Mexico.
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Protoglobicephala mexicana Aguirre-Fernández et al. |
| 2014 | Protoglobicephala mexicana Murakami et al. p. 492 figs. Table 1 |
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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.
†Protoglobicephala mexicana Aguirre-Fernández et al. 2009
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Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| G. Aguirre-Fernández et al. 2009 | Medium sized odontocete cetacean with relatively short and broad rostrum, 10 teeth in each maxilla; referred to superfamily Delphinoidea because nasal bones are short and blocky and do not overhang nares, lateral lamina of pterygoid does not form a complete bony wall within orbital area, vomer is exposed in anterior part of palate, premaxillae have reduced palatal exposure anterior to palatal exposure of vomer, petrosal has short posterior process, tympanic bulla lacks anterior process, and teeth are homodont; referred to family Delphinidae because nasal bones are convex and form highest part of cranial vertex, posterior end of left premaxilla is significantly narrower and shorter than right premaxilla, posterior end of left premaxilla has reduced contact with anterolateral corner of left nasal, no premaxillary eminence is present anterior to nares; referred to subfamily Globicephalinae because rostrum is relatively broad, premaxillae are wide and occupy major part of dorsal surface of rostrum, antorbital process is large and rounded in dorsal view, tooth numbers are reduced; differing from all other genera of Globicephalinae by having proportionally longer rostrum, greater medial extension of posterior ends of right maxilla and premaxilla, and proportionally larger premaxillary sac fossae; resembling Globicephala by having wider dorsal surfaces of premaxillae on rostrum than maxillae, rugosities present on dorsal surface of anterior part of premaxilla, and facial surface of cranium extended posteriorly so that occipital shield is nearly vertical and not extensively visible in dorsal view; and differing from Globicephala by being smaller, having proportionally narrower cranium and longer and narrower rostrum, narrower dorsal exposures of premaxillae on rostrum, more convex dorsal surface of rostrum in anterior part, proportionally larger premaxillary sac fossae, greater medial expansion of posterior end of right premaxilla toward cranial vertex, more teeth, and teeth of smaller diameter. Near their anterior ends, the dorsal surfaces of the premaxillae are arched prominently, and they are elevated along their medial margins adjoining the mesorostral gutter. These features are both autapomorphies of this genus. |
Measurements
No measurements are available
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| Source: f = family, subo = suborder, o = order | |||||
| References: Uhen 2004, Nowak 1991 | |||||
Age range: Piacenzian or 3.60000 to 2.58000 Ma
Collections: one only
| Time interval | Ma | Country or state | Original ID and collection number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piacenzian | Mexico (Baja California Sur) | Protoglobicephala mexicana (type locality: 91183) |