Kaupitherium

Kaupitherium is an extinct dugongid sea cow that lived during the Oligocene. Its fossils are common in European shales. Inside its flippers were finger bones that did not stick out. Kaupitherium also had the residues of back legs, which did not show externally. However, it did have a basic femur, joined to a reduced pelvis. Kaupitherium also had elongated ribs, presumably to increase lung capacity to provide fine control of buoyancy.

Kaupitherium
Temporal range: Late Eocene–Early Oligocene
Kaupitherium skeleton, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Sirenia
Family:
Dugongidae
Subfamily:
†"Halitheriinae"
Genus:
Kaupitherium

Voss, 2017
Species
  • Kaupitherium bronni (Krauss, 1858)
  • Kaupitherium gruelli Voss, 2017 (type)

Taxonomy

"Halitheriine" dugongid remains from Oligocene deposits in Europe were previously referred to Halitherium schinzii by many authors. However, Voss (2013, 2014) dismissed Halitherium as a nomen dubium by virtue of being based on non-diagnostic remains. Voss based the opinion on the type species, H. schinzii, being nomen dubium, with its holotype fossil, an isolated molar, having no diagnostic value.[1] and a 2017 study found specimens traditionally assigned to Halitherium schinzii to be two separate species, one of which takes the name Halitherium bronni Krauss, 1858. Because Halitherium is dubious, the dugongid remains traditionally known as Halitherium were given the new genus Kaupitherium.[2][1][3]

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References
Notes
  1. Voss, Manja. "On the invalidity of Halitherium schinzii Kaup, 1838 (Mammalia, Sirenia), with comments on systematic consequences." Zoosystematics and Evolution 90 (2014): 87.
  2. Voss, 2013. http://edoc.hu-berlin.de/dissertationen/voss-manja-2013-11-06/PDF/voss.pdf
  3. Manja Voss & Oliver Hampe (2017). "Evidence for two sympatric sirenian species (Mammalia, Tethytheria) in the early Oligocene of Central Europe". Journal of Paleontology. in press. doi:10.1017/jpa.2016.147.
Bibliography
  • Marine Mammals: Evolutionary Biology by Annalisa Berta, James L. Sumich, and Kit M. Kovacs
  • The Beginning of the Age of Mammals by Kenneth D. Rose
  • Classification of Mammals by Malcolm C. McKenna and Susan K. Bell

See also
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