Fragilicetus velponi: a new mysticete genus and species and its implications for the origin of Balaenopteridae (Mammalia, Cetacea, Mysticeti)
Author
Bisconti, Michelangelo
Author
Bosselaers, Mark
text
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
2016
2016-05-20
177
2
450
474
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/zoj.12370
journal article
10.1111/zoj.12370
0024-4082
5364570
FRAGILICETUS VELPONI
SP. NOV.
Holotype
:
Item
no.
NMR 999100007727
, housed at the
Natuurhistorisch Museum Rotterdam
,
The Netherlands
(hereinafter,
NMR
).
Type locality:
The specimen was found along the southwest border of the Deurganckdock, approximately
12 km
north-west of Antwerp city centre and
4 km
north of the village of Kallo (
Fig. 1
). The Deurganckdock is an artificial excavation located on the left side of the Scheldt River. The geographical coordinates of the discovery site are
51°17′05″N
,
4°15′30″E
.
Formation and age:
The specimen was found
in situ
in the Kattendijk Sand Member of the Kattendijk Sands Formation (Early Pliocene, Zanclean), about
3 m
above the basal gravel, at a depth of about 21.5 m below the Tweede Algemene Waterpassing (TAW;
Fig. 2
). TAW is the standardized (rectified) second general water level (main level of the sea at Ostend at low tide). The Belgian standard TAW is 2.33 m lower than the Dutch, German, and French standards. At the discovery site, the basal gravel of the Kattendijk Sand Member is in contact with and on top of the Rupel clay (Oligocene, firmed by
Louwye
et al
. (2004)
. Based on these correlations, the estimated age of the
holotype
skeleton of
F. velponi
is approximately 5 Mya.
Diagnosis:
As for genus.
Etymology: Velpon
is the brand of the glue used in the preparation of the
holotype
skull.