Platyphoca danica Koretsky, Rahmat et Peters 2014, sp. n.
Creators: name: Koretsky, I.
name: Rahmat, S.
name: Peters, N.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Carnivora
Phocidae
Platyphoca
Platyphoca danica

description: <i>Platyphoca danica</i> Koretsky, Rahmat et Peters, sp. n. (pl. 3, <i>2A–2B;</i> table 2) H o l o t y p e. Distal part of the left humerus (pl. 3, <i>2A–2B</i>), GM1, Geological Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark. Cast in Museum MidtsØnderjyllands Museum, Gram Slot; number refers to collection number of original in Copenhagen. T y p e l o c a l i t y. Skaerum MØlle, Jutland, Denmark (56.33°20' N, 8.35°21' E). S t r a t i g r a p h i c a l r a n g e. Gram Formation, late Miocene (early-middle Tortonian, 8.0–11.5 ma). Etymology. After <i>Dania</i> (Latinized, noun, feminine) — Denmark; <i>danica</i> (Latinized, adj.) — from Denmark. D i a g n o s i s. Coronoid and olecranon fossae of humerus wide and shallow; extended more proximally than medial epicondyle, almost reaching distal part of deltoid crest; entepicondylar foramen large, with wide bridge over it; thin lateral epicondyle very elongated, but does not reach distal part of deltoid crest; medial epicondyle wide and flattened, its lateral border forming an oval that is oriented 45° to the bone’s axis. D e s c r i p t i o n a n d c o m p a r i s o n. The humeral trochlea is very pronounced, especially the capitulum. The groove between the trochlea and capitulum (the middle of the internal crest of the humeral trochlear) is flattened near the floor of the coronoid fossa, unlike that in Monachinae (= arch-like) or Cystophorinae (= appearing wave-like over the coronoid fossa) (Koretsky, Rahmat, 2013: fig. 3). The trochlea is higher and more prominent than in <i>P. vulgaris</i> (pl. 3, <i>1A–1B</i>). The coronoid and olecranon fossae are so shallow (in contrast to <i>P</i>. <i>vulgaris</i>) that they are barely outlined. They extend more proximal than the medial epicondyle and do not reach the distal part of the deltoid crest. The entepicondylar foramen is large, oval (in contrast to <i>P</i>. <i>vulgaris</i>), with a broad and flat bridge over it. The lateral epicondyle is narrow, very elongated, and does not reach the distal part of the deltoid crest, but extends farther proximally than the medial epicondyle (as in <i>P</i>. <i>vulgaris</i>). The medial epicondyle is oval (in contrast to <i>P</i>. <i>vulgaris</i>) and forms a 45° angle with the bone’s axis. The distal epiphysis is narrower and thinner than in <i>P</i>. <i>vulgaris</i>. The entire bone is unusually flat, and slender. Collectively, these features lend a spatula-like appearance of the distal end of the humerus. The general appearance of the bone suggests that it belongs to the genus <i>Platyphoca</i>, as indicated above. Discussion. Although a comparison with the humerus of <i>P</i>. <i>vulgaris</i> is limited due to the absence of the proximal part of the bone as well as by its origin from a different geological age, this Danish humerus is compatible with humeri of <i>Platyphoca vulgaris</i> in several anatomical characters and its size. At the same time, the preserved part of the humerus appears to bear enough distinctive characters to describe a new taxon. Similar to <i>Gryphoca</i>, the unusual and rare taxon <i>Platyphoca</i> is known to researchers by name and was critically re-examined by Ray (1976) and Koretsky and Ray (2008). Despite the fragmentary representation of this species in Van Beneden’s original collection, the examination of additional fossil material from the Lee Creek Mine (USA) shows the same very distinctive morphological features (such as spatula-like distal end of the humerus). The high affinity of this newly described humerus from Denmark with <i>Platyphoca</i> and the amount of similar fossil material from other parts of the world indicate that <i>Platyphoca danica</i> represents an identifiable species.
description: Published as part of <i>Koretsky, I., Rahmat, S. &amp; Peters, N., 2014, Rare Late Miocene Seal Taxa (Carnivora, Phocidae) From The North Sea Basin, pp. 419-432 in Vestnik Zoologii 48 (5)</i> on pages 427-429, DOI: 10.2478/vzoo-2014-0050, http://zenodo.org/record/6449169
description: {"references": ["Koretsky, I. A., Rahmat, S. J. First record of fossil Cystophorinae (Carnivora, Phocidae): middle Miocene seals from the northern Paratethys // Revista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia. - 2013. - 119. - P. 325 - 350.", "Koretsky, I. A., Ray, C. E. Phocidae of the Pliocene of eastern USA // Geology and paleontology of the Lee Creek Mine, North Carolina IV / Eds C. E. Ray, D. A. Bohaska, I. A. Koretsky et al. - Virginia Museum of Natural History, 2008. - 15 (Special Publication). - P. 81 - 140.", "Ray, C. E. Phoca wymani and other Tertiary seals (Mammalia: Phocidae) described from the eastern seaboard of North America // Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology. - 1976. - 28. - P. 1 - 36."]}