PBDB Taxon

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Heterocetus

Mammalia - Cetacea

Taxonomy

Heterocetus was named by Capellini (1877) [Sepkoski's age data: T Mi-m T Mi-u Sepkoski's reference number: 746]. It was considered monophyletic by Newton (1891).

It was synonymized subjectively with Cetotherium by Lydekker (1887); it was reranked as Cetotherium (Heterocetus) by Newton (1891); it was synonymized subjectively with Plesiocetus by True (1912); it was considered a nomen dubium by Kimura and Ozawa (2002); it was considered a nomen dubium by Uhen and Pyenson (2007); it was considered a nomen dubium by Steeman (2010).

It was assigned to Cetotherium by Newton (1891); to Balaenopterinae by Trouessart (1898), Trouessart (1904); to Balaenopteridae by Flores (1895), Zittel (1925); to Cetacea by Sepkoski (2002); to Cetotheriinae by Whitmore and Barnes (2008); to Balaenopteroidea by Hampe and Ritsche (2011); and to Cetotheriidae by Kellogg (1928), Kellogg (1931), Simpson (1945), Carroll (1988), McKenna and Bell (1997), Lanzetti (2014), Carone and Marra (2014).

Species

H. brevifrons, H. guiscardii, H. major, H. scriptus, H. sprangii

Synonyms

Heterocetus sprangii was named by Van Beneden (1886). Its type specimen is IRScNB CtM 622/Reg 296, a partial skull, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Anvers, which is in a Miocene/Pliocene marine horizon in Belgium.

It was recombined as Plesiocetus sprangi by Van Deinse (1931); it was considered a nomen dubium by Steeman (2010).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1877	Heterocetus Capellini
1886	Heterocetus sprangii Van Beneden p. 36 figs. Plates 30-33
1891	Cetotherium (Heterocetus) Newton p. 65
1895	Heterocetus Flores p. 14
1898	Heterocetus Trouessart p. 1075
1898	Heterocetus sprangii Trouessart p. 1075
1904	Heterocetus Trouessart p. 781
1904	Heterocetus sprangii Trouessart p. 781
1925	Heterocetus Zittel p. 87
1928	Heterocetus Kellogg p. 35 figs. Table 1
1931	Heterocetus Kellogg p. 312
1931	Plesiocetus sprangi Van Deinse p. 133
1945	Heterocetus Simpson p. 105
1988	Heterocetus Carroll
1997	Heterocetus McKenna and Bell p. 376
2002	Heterocetus Sepkoski
2008	Heterocetus Whitmore and Barnes p. 144
2011	Heterocetus Hampe and Ritsche p. 101
2014	Heterocetus Carone and Marra p. 123
2014	Heterocetus Lanzetti p. 112

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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

Rank	Name	Author
class	Mammalia
—	Cladotheria
—	Zatheria
subclass	Tribosphenida	()
subclass	Theria
—	Eutheria	()
—	Placentalia
—	Boreoeutheria
—	Laurasiatheria
—	Scrotifera
—	Euungulata
—	Artiodactylamorpha
—	Artiodactyla	()
—	Whippomorpha
order	Cetacea
—	Pelagiceti
—	Neoceti
suborder	Mysticeti
—	Chaeomysticeti	()
subfamily	Cetotheriidae	()
genus	Heterocetus

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.

G. †Heterocetus Capellini 1877

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†Heterocetus brevifrons Van Beneden 1872

†Heterocetus guiscardii Capellini 1877

†Heterocetus major Stefano 1900

†Heterocetus scriptus Vanden Broeck 1874

Invalid names: Heterocetus sprangii Van Beneden 1886 [nomen dubium]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

No measurements are available

Composition:

hydroxyapatitesubo

Form:

roller-shapedo

Ontogeny:

modification of partso

Environment:

marinesubo

Locomotion:

actively mobileo

Life habit:

aquaticsubo

Depth habitat:

surfaceo

Diet:

carnivoresubo

Diet 2:

suspension feedersubo

Reproduction:

viviparouso

Created:

2005-03-06 14:20:41

Modified:

2005-03-06 16:34:40

Source: subo = suborder, o = order

Reference: Uhen 2004

Age range: base of the Langhian to the top of the Gelasian or 15.98000 to 1.80000 Ma

Collections (12 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Langhian	15.98 - 13.82	Netherlands (Gelderland)	Plesiocetus brevifrons (32040)
Serravallian	13.82 - 11.63	Netherlands	H. brevifrons, Plesiocetus brevifrons, Plesiocetus sprangi (75152)
Serravallian	13.82 - 11.63	Germany (Schleswig–Holstein)	H. sprangi (124766)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	Italy	H. guiscardii (49895 80394)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	Belgium (Flanders)	H. brevifrons (67026)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	Belgium (Antwerpen)	H. scriptus (57733)
Late/Upper Miocene	11.63 - 5.333	Netherlands	Plesiocetus brevifrons (53889)
Late/Upper Miocene - Late/Upper Pliocene	11.63 - 2.58	Belgium (Antwerpen)	Cetotherium brevifrons, Plesiocetus sprangi (47465)
Pliocene	5.333 - 2.58	Italy	H. major (76977)
Pliocene	5.333 - 2.58	Belgium	Cetotherium brevifrons (49404)
Gelasian	2.58 - 1.8	United Kingdom (England)	Cetotherium brevifrons (48093)