Author(s): Hampe O Baszio S
Journal: Bulletin of Geosciences
ISSN 1214-1119
Volume: 85;
Issue: 2;
Start page: 199;
Date: 2010;
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Keywords: Mysticeti | morphometry | landmark analysis | relativewarps | relationships | phylogeny
ABSTRACT
During the last few years research on fossil baleen whales experienced a renaissance. Several important fossils weredescribed, and new and extended cladistic analyses were performed, partly including molecular data from living species.Despite the progress in our knowledge of their phylogeny, many questions have still not been resolved. A different attemptto illustrate mysticete relationships is presented here using landmark analyses. For the present analysis, 38 dorsalviews of mysticete skulls and skull reconstructions were scanned and thirteen landmarks were defined. The method usedis the relative warp analysis. This method allows a clustering of elements according to their similarity in shape. The calculatedrelative warps explain main shape variations in the sample. As in parsimony analyses the toothed mysticetes areclearly distinguishable. Representatives of the Aetocetoidea are grouped very closely together and therefore their classificationin this family is strongly supported. The performed analysis shows that the crania of the Balaenidae have developedsimilarities to the cranium of Janjucetus hunderi. The restriction of the Cetotheriidae to a small group of taxa isconfirmed here and includes in this analysis Cetotherium, Mixocetus, Piscobalaena, and Titanocetus with a close relationshipto the living gray whale. The stem-balaenopterids do not show any clear signals in the present analysis. There isno support for a subdivision into further families. The structure of the dorsal cranium of Protororqualus andPraemegaptera is very similar to that of Balaenoptera
Journal: Bulletin of Geosciences
ISSN 1214-1119
Volume: 85;
Issue: 2;
Start page: 199;
Date: 2010;
VIEW PDF
DOWNLOAD PDF Original pageKeywords: Mysticeti | morphometry | landmark analysis | relativewarps | relationships | phylogeny
ABSTRACT
During the last few years research on fossil baleen whales experienced a renaissance. Several important fossils weredescribed, and new and extended cladistic analyses were performed, partly including molecular data from living species.Despite the progress in our knowledge of their phylogeny, many questions have still not been resolved. A different attemptto illustrate mysticete relationships is presented here using landmark analyses. For the present analysis, 38 dorsalviews of mysticete skulls and skull reconstructions were scanned and thirteen landmarks were defined. The method usedis the relative warp analysis. This method allows a clustering of elements according to their similarity in shape. The calculatedrelative warps explain main shape variations in the sample. As in parsimony analyses the toothed mysticetes areclearly distinguishable. Representatives of the Aetocetoidea are grouped very closely together and therefore their classificationin this family is strongly supported. The performed analysis shows that the crania of the Balaenidae have developedsimilarities to the cranium of Janjucetus hunderi. The restriction of the Cetotheriidae to a small group of taxa isconfirmed here and includes in this analysis Cetotherium, Mixocetus, Piscobalaena, and Titanocetus with a close relationshipto the living gray whale. The stem-balaenopterids do not show any clear signals in the present analysis. There isno support for a subdivision into further families. The structure of the dorsal cranium of Protororqualus andPraemegaptera is very similar to that of Balaenoptera
