Mirocetus
Extinct genus of whale-like animals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mirocetus is a genus of archaic odontocete from the late Oligocene (Chattian) of Azerbaijan. Like many other primitive odontocetes, its classification has been fluid since its description.
| Mirocetus Temporal range: Late Oligocene, | |
|---|---|
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| Life restoration | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | †Xenorophidae |
| Genus: | †Mirocetus Mchedlidze, 1970 |
| Species: | †M. riabinini |
| Binomial name | |
| †Mirocetus riabinini Mchedlidze, 1970 | |
Classification
Mirocetus riabinini is based on a skull from late Oligocene (Chattian) deposits in Azerbaijan. Although originally assigned to Patriocetidae in the original description, Mchelidze later assigned it to the mysticete family Aetiocetidae.[1] Fordyce (1981, 2002) treated Mirocetus as Odontoceti incertae sedis in recognition of its primitiveness, and a 2015 paper recognized the genus as sufficiently distinct from other basal odontocete families to warrant its own family, Mirocetidae.[2] However, a cladistic analysis of Olympicetus by Velez-Juarbe recovers Mirocetus as a member of Xenorophidae, rendering Mirocetidae a synonym of Xenorophidae.[3][4]