The oldest fossil record of the extant genus Berardius (Odontoceti, Ziphiidae) from the Middle to Late Miocene boundary of the western North Pacific.

ABSTRACT: A new species of a beaked whale that belongs to the extant genus Berardius is described from the Middle to Late Miocene boundary age Tsurushi Formation (ca 12.3-11.5 Ma) on the Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The new species, Berardius kobayashii sp. nov. represents the oldest record of this genus and provides a minimum age for the emergence of this extant genus. Berardius kobayashii sp. nov. has the following generic characters: the ratio between the width of the premaxillary crests and the width of the premaxillary sac fossae is 1.0-1.25, nodular frontals make isolated protuberance on the posterior part of the vertex. Among the species within the genus, B. kobayashii sp. nov. shares a unique character with B. minimus: the apices of the le

SUBMITTER: Kawatani A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8074928 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature