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Balaenoptera cephalus

Mammalia - Cetacea - Balaenopteridae

Taxonomy
Eschrichtius cephalus was named by Cope (1867) [ANSP 12691, 12692, 12693 (humerus, missing), 12941 are all lectotypes]. Its type specimen is ANSP 12691, a partial skeleton (2 mandibuluar rami, 13 vertebrae, 4 rib fragments, and 137 misc bone fragments), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is James T. Thomas estate, which is in a Serravallian offshore shelf horizon in the Calvert Formation of Maryland.

It was recombined as Cetotherium cephalus by Cope (1890), Cope (1895), Trouessart (1898); it was recombined as Cetotherium cephalum by Hay (1902), Trouessart (1904), Case (1904), Hay (1930), Abel (1938); it was recombined as Balaenoptera cephalus by Kellogg (1968), Barnes and McLeod (1984), Weems and Edwards (2007), Uhen et al. (2008).

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1867Eschrichtius cephalus Cope p. 131
1869Eschrichtius cephalus Leidy p. 442
1890Cetotherium cephalus Cope p. 612 figs. Fig. 7-8, Plate 22
1895Cetotherium cephalus Cope p. 573
1898Cetotherium cephalus Trouessart p. 1071
1902Cetotherium cephalum Hay p. 599
1904Cetotherium cephalum Case p. 44
1904Cetotherium cephalum Trouessart p. 779
1930Cetotherium cephalum Hay p. 572
1938Cetotherium cephalum Abel p. 6
1968Balaenoptera cephalus Kellogg p. 106
1984Balaenoptera cephalus Barnes and McLeod p. 5
2007Balaenoptera cephalus Weems and Edwards
2008Balaenoptera cephalus Uhen et al. p. 619

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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
RankNameAuthor
—Cladotheria
—Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
—Eutheria()
—Placentalia
—Boreoeutheria
—Laurasiatheria
—Scrotifera
—Euungulata
—Artiodactylamorpha
—Artiodactyla()
—Whippomorpha
orderCetacea
—Pelagiceti
—Neoceti
suborderMysticeti
—Chaeomysticeti()
—Balaenomorpha
superfamilyThalassotherii
familyBalaenopteridae
genusBalaenoptera
speciescephalus()

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.

†Balaenoptera cephalus Cope 1867
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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: suspension feederf
Reproduction: viviparouso
Created: 2005-06-08 10:11:09
Modified: 2005-06-08 12:11:09
Source: f = family, subo = suborder, o = order
References: Nowak 1991, Uhen 2004

Age range: Serravallian or 13.82000 to 11.63000 Ma

Collections: one only


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Serravallian13.82 - 11.63USA (Maryland) Eschrichtius cephalus (type locality: 55396)