Masracetus Temporal range:
| |
---|---|
Restoration | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Infraorder: | Cetacea |
Family: | † Basilosauridae |
Subfamily: | † Dorudontinae |
Genus: | †
Masracetus Gingerich 2007 |
Species | |
|
Masracetus (from Arabic Masr, "Egypt", and Greek ketos, "whale") [1] is an extinct genus of basilosaurid ancient whale known from the Late Eocene ( Priabonian, 37.2 to 33.9 million years ago) of Egypt. [2]
Masracetus was briefly described in an addendum by Gingerich 2007 and is known from just an assemblage of vertebrae and a poorly reconstructed skull from 1908. The lumbar vertebrae are large but relatively short (anteroposteriorly) compared to those of other archaeocetes; the diameter is almost the same as for Basilosaurus isis but the length is less than half of the latter. Masracetus is larger than Cynthiacetus, [3] but it is suggested that the former might be synonymized as a junior synonym with the latter. [4]
The species name honours Richard Markgraf, palaeontologist Ernst Stromer's fossil collector, who collected the type specimen in 1905. [1]
Masracetus' type locality is the Birket Qarun Formation in Dimê ( 29°30′N 30°42′E / 29.5°N 30.7°E, paleocoordinates 24°54′N 26°36′E / 24.9°N 26.6°E) north of lake Birket Qarun, [5] but specimens have also been found in the Qattara Depression and Fayum. [6] [7] [8] [9]
Masracetus Temporal range:
| |
---|---|
Restoration | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Infraorder: | Cetacea |
Family: | † Basilosauridae |
Subfamily: | † Dorudontinae |
Genus: | †
Masracetus Gingerich 2007 |
Species | |
|
Masracetus (from Arabic Masr, "Egypt", and Greek ketos, "whale") [1] is an extinct genus of basilosaurid ancient whale known from the Late Eocene ( Priabonian, 37.2 to 33.9 million years ago) of Egypt. [2]
Masracetus was briefly described in an addendum by Gingerich 2007 and is known from just an assemblage of vertebrae and a poorly reconstructed skull from 1908. The lumbar vertebrae are large but relatively short (anteroposteriorly) compared to those of other archaeocetes; the diameter is almost the same as for Basilosaurus isis but the length is less than half of the latter. Masracetus is larger than Cynthiacetus, [3] but it is suggested that the former might be synonymized as a junior synonym with the latter. [4]
The species name honours Richard Markgraf, palaeontologist Ernst Stromer's fossil collector, who collected the type specimen in 1905. [1]
Masracetus' type locality is the Birket Qarun Formation in Dimê ( 29°30′N 30°42′E / 29.5°N 30.7°E, paleocoordinates 24°54′N 26°36′E / 24.9°N 26.6°E) north of lake Birket Qarun, [5] but specimens have also been found in the Qattara Depression and Fayum. [6] [7] [8] [9]