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Paleontological Research
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Abstract
Abstract.
Two mandibles of fossil mysticetes from the early Pliocene, upper part of the Horokaoshirarika Formation at Numata Town, Hokkaido, Japan, belong to the archaic, extinct cetotheriid baleen whale, Herpetocetinae gen. et sp. indet. by having an elongated angular process projecting posteriorly beyond the mandibular condyle. The new materials of the Herpetocetinae represent their northernmost occurrence in the North Pacific.
We thank Toshitsugu Maeda (Sapporo City, Fujino Jr. High School), Takaoki Harada (Numata Jr. High School) for collecting and preparing the specimens. YT thanks Satoshi Shinohara (NFL) for guiding him to fossil localities in Numata Town; and Hiroshi Sawamura and Tatsuro Ando (AMP) for access to AMP 35. We also thank Felix G. Marx (IRSNB, and Monash University, Australia), Cheng-Hsiu Tsai (NMNS) and Toshiyuki Kimura (Gunma Museum of Natural History) for providing constructive reviews of the manuscript. YT thanks R. Ewan Fordyce (University of Otago) for his comments on this manuscript and encouragement on this project, Felix G. Marx for discussions on cetotheriid systematics and morphology, Robert Boessenecker (College of Charleston) for constructive comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript, Naoki Kohno (NMNS) for providing the opportunity to examine specimens (NMNS-PV 19540), Nicholas D. Pyenson and David J. Bohaska (United States National Museum of Natural History), Jun Nemoto (Tohoku Univesity Museum), Masaya Oishi and Takafumi Mochiduki (Iwate Prefecture Museum), and Tadasu Yamada and Yuko Tajima (NMNS) for providing access to comparative specimens. YT thanks Olivier Lambert (IRSNB) for providing references. HF and LGB benefitted from support from the Hokkaido University of Education and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and its foundation for travel in Japan and the United States. We thank Masaichi Kimura (Hokkaido University of Education, Numata Fossil Museum) for his encouragement to this project.
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