Finds of skulls of juvenile Kurdalagonus maicopicus (Сetacea, Cetotheriidae) in the upper Miocene of the Republic of Adygea

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Abstract

Fragments of two skulls of young cetotherium baleen whales have been described from the Fortep’yanka 2 locality (Russia, Republic of Adygea, Maikop district, Fortep’yanka river valley, Upper Miocene, Upper Sarmatian, Blinovskaya Formation). Based on the morphology of the posterior (mastoid) process of the petrous bone, the structure of the posterior edge of the temporal fenestra, and the S-shaped shape of the superoccipital ridges, the finds were attributed to Kurdalagonus maicopicus (Spasskii, 1951). The proportions of the skull and the degree of closure of the sutures of the skull made it possible to determine the individual age of these whales within a year. New findings significantly complement the data on the structure of the sutures of the lateral wall of the skull and age-related variability of cranial morphology in representatives of the genus Kurdalagonus.

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About the authors

K. K. Tarasenko

Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences

Author for correspondence.
Email: tarasenkokk@gmail.com
Russian Federation, Moscow

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Supplementary files

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2. Fig. 1. The structure of the lateral wall of the skull of Kurdalagonus maicopicus (Spasskii, 1951) of different individual ages: a – lectotype PIN, No. 764/1; incomplete skull; Russia, Republic of Adygea, left bank of the Belaya River, Maykop, location of the hydroelectric power plant; upper Middle Miocene, Middle Sarmatian, Blinovskaya suite, b – ex. PIN 5462/84; skull fragment; Russia, Republic of Adygea, Maikop district, Piano river valley, location Piano 2; Upper Middle Miocene, Middle Sarmatian, Blinovskaya formation. Designations: al – sphenoid bone; loc – lateral occipital bone; ppt – posterior process of the stony bone (mastoid process); sc – slit of the scaly bone; sq – scaly bone; t – parietal bone.

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3. Fig. 2. 3D visualization of the lateral wall of the skull of Kurdalagonus maicopicus (Spasskii, 1951), ex. PIN 5462/84, skull fragment; Russia, Republic of Adygea, Maikop district, Piano river valley, location Piano 2; upper Middle Miocene, Middle Sarmatian, Blinovskaya formation: a – laterally with a virtual sagittal section through the base of the zygomatic process of the scaly bone; b – anterolaterally with a virtual cross section through the wedge-shaped and the parietal bone, by a virtual sagittal section through the base of the zygomatic process of the scaly bone; c is a virtual sagittal section of the skull wall of Kurdalagonus maicopicus (Spasskii, 1951) through the suture of the scaly-lateral occipital bone. Denser areas of bone are indicated in red, green, blue-green and blue are less dense, holes, voids and sutures are dark blue. Designations: al – sphenoid bone; loc – lateral occipital bone; ppt – posterior process of stony bone (mastoid process); sc – slit of scaly bone; sq – scaly bone; SLc – suture between scaly and lateral occipital bones; t – parietal bone.

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4. Fig. 3. Kurdalagonus maicopicus (Spasskii, 1951), ex. PIN, No.5462/35, fragment of the right part of the cerebral box of the skull (upper part of the scaly bone); skull fragment; Russia, Republic of Adygea, Maikop district, valley of the Piano river, location Piano 2; upper Middle Miocene, Middle Sarmatian, Blinovskaya suite: a – side view, b – rear view.

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5. Fig. 4. Kurdalagonus maicopicus (Spasskii, 1951), ex. PIN, No.5462/33, right frontal bone; skull fragment; Russia, Republic of Adygea, Maikop district, Piano River valley, Piano location; Upper Middle Miocene, Middle Sarmatian, Blinovskaya suite: a – side view, b – side view (magnification), c – Restored virtual slice through the frontal bone, at the exit level of the olfactory nerve.

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Presented by Academician of the RAS A.V. Lopatin


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