Balaenid from San Diego Formation of San Diego County, California

[DD1991]

The balaenid specimen SDNHM 43880 I photographed at the San Diego Natural History Museum in December 2017 was once referred to Balaenula, but Churchill et al. (2012) recovered it as sister to the bowhead whale rather the right whales and Balaenula, and recent erection of Archaeobalaena dosanko for the one balaenid specimen from Japan previously referred to Balaenula makes clear that the previous referral of SDNHM 43880 was untenable. However, it is unclear whether SDNHM 43880 is a new genus and species or alternatively a new Balaena species due to the cladistic position of SDNHM 43880 obtained by Churchill et al. (2012).

 

Churchill, M., Berta, A. and Deméré, T. (2012), The systematics of right whales (Mysticeti: Balaenidae). Marine Mammal Science, 28: 497-521. doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.2011.00504.x