Huaridelphis

Huaridelphis raimondii is an extinct species of river dolphin from the early Miocene.^[1]

Etymology

The genus name is derived from the name of the Huari people, an ancient culture from Peru, and from the Latin word for dolphin, delphis. The specific name was chosen in honor of Antonio Raimondi, an Italian geographer and the first person to discover fossilized whale remains in Peru.^[1]

Description

H. raimondii was a relatively small squalodelphinid, with a bizygomatic breadth of 207 millimeters and a condylobasal length of 494 millimeters. The rostrum, which was only slightly dorsoventrally flattened, and made up only 67% of the condylobasal length, considerably less than most squalodelphinids. The antorbital notches were V-shaped and asymmetrical, with the right notch farther back on the head than the left one. The species had 28-30 teeth per top row, with alveoli ranging in diameter between 3.7 and 5.5 millimeters. Teeth ranged from 3.35-6.4 millimeters high at the crown. Ribs measured around 260 millimeters.^[1]

Discovery

Fossils of H. raimondii have been recovered from the Chilcatay Formation in Ullujaya and Zamaca, in the Ica Region of Peru.^[1]

Habitat

The specimens date from the late Oligocene and early Miocene. Specimens were found along with fossils of Isurus desori and Carcharocles chubutensis (two species of sharks), as well as those of baleen whales, Teleostei, and sea turtles. Injuries from sharks were observed on at least two of the fossils.^[1]

References