Miophyseter chitaensis is a recently established physeteroid genus and species of the Physeteroidea; from the lower Miocene (Burdigalian) of Japan. This specimen was recovered from the Toyohama Formation, Chita County, Aichi Prefecture, Japan in 1984 and includes a finely preserved cranium with detached teeth and ear bones (periotic, tympanic bulla, and malleus).
Description[]
The concluded phylogenetic analysis suggests that Miophyseter is a physeteroid more closely related to the crown Physeteroidea (Physeteridae and Kogiidae) than the macroraptorial physeteroids that flourished in middle and late Miocene times. A deep and large excavation on the ventral surface of the palatine and pterygoid in Miophyster suggests an adaptation for deep dives and/or the development of robust pterygoid muscles for active biting.
Other Wikis[]
References[]
- https://bioone.org/journals/paleontological-research/volume-26/issue-1/PR200021/A-New-Physeteroid-from-the-Lower-Miocene-of-Japan/10.2517/PR200021.short
- http://novataxa.blogspot.com/2022/03/miophyseter.html
- http://www.pieronline.jp/content/article/1342-8144/26010/87
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357500418_A_new_physeteroid_from_the_lower_Miocene_of_Japan