Masracetus

Masracetus
Temporal range: Late Eocene
↓
Restoration
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Suborder: Archaeoceti
Family: Basilosauridae
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]

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,[4] but specimens have also been found in the Qattara Depression and Fayum.[5][6][7][8]

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gingerich 2007, Etymology, p. 375
  2. ↑ Masracetus in the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved July 2013.
  3. ↑ Gingerich 2007, p. 375
  4. ↑ Dimeh (Eocene of Egypt) in the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved July 2013.
  5. ↑ Masracetus markgrafi in the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved July 2013.
  6. ↑ Qattara Depression (Eocene of Egypt) in the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved July 2013.
  7. ↑ Minqar Tibaghbagh (Eocene of Egypt) in the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved July 2013.
  8. ↑ Minqar el-Hut (Eocene of Egypt) in the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved July 2013.

References

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