Platyphoca Van Beneden 1877
Creators: name: Koretsky, I.
name: Rahmat, S.
name: Peters, N.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Carnivora
Phocidae
Platyphoca

description: Genus <i>Platyphoca</i> Van Beneden, 1877 1876 a <i>Platyphoca</i> Van Beneden: 798 (nom. nud.); *1877 <i>Platyphoca</i> Van Beneden: 67–68; 1904 <i>Phoca</i> (<i>Platyphoca</i>) Trouessart: 285; 1909 <i>Platyphoca</i> Dollo: 118; 1922 <i>Platyphoca</i> Kellogg: 117; 1945 <i>Platyphoca</i> Simpson: 122; 1947 <i>Phoca</i> (<i>Platyphoca</i>) Friant: 7, 10, 14; 1958 <i>Platyphoca</i> Misonne: 22; 1964 <i>Platyphoca</i> King: 131; 1977 <i>Platyphoca</i> Ray: 94; 1983 <i>Platyphoca</i> Savage, Russell: 294; 1992 <i>Platyphoca</i> Muizon: 36; 1997 <i>Platyphoca</i> McKenna, Bell: 258; 2008 <i>Platyphoca</i> Koretsky, Ray: 84–85, 103–105. T y p e s p e c i e s: <i>Platyphoca vulgaris</i> Van Beneden, 1877, by original monotypy. Holotype from middle (?) Pliocene (Scaldisian) deposits in the Antwerp area, Belgium. S t r a t i g r a p h i c a l r a n g e. The type species is also known from the Pliocene (5.0– 5.8 ma) Yorktown Formation of the eastern United States. Herein, we introduce a new species from the late Miocene (early-middle Tortonian, 8.0–11.5 ma) Gram Formation of Gram and Skaerum MØlle, Jutland, western Denmark. R e f e r r e d m a t e r i a l. Humeri, 2nd phalanx, innominata, metatarsal IV, tibia, and humeri from the Antwerp area, Belgium, from western Denmark, and from the eastern United States (see Koretsky, Ray, 2008). E m e n d e d d i a g n o s i s. Deltoid crest of humerus very short and terminating at less than 1/2 of length of bone; from base of lesser tubercle, along medial surface of bone, passes a crest that is only slightly shorter than deltoid crest; maximal enlargement of deltoid crest in its proximal part; intertubercular groove very shallow and not well defined; both epicondyles well developed and very wide; distal part of each epicondyle flat. D i s c u s s i o n. <i>Platyphoca vulgaris</i> (pl. 3, <i>1A–1B</i>) was originally mentioned by Van Beneden (1876 a), who considered it to be very close to the Recent <i>Erignathus barbatus</i>. The size of the humerus approaches that of <i>Erignathus</i> more closely than any other phocid. This poorly known, obscure, but distinctive species was described on the basis of only a few bones of the postcranial skeleton. <i>P. vulgaris</i> was a very large animal, perhaps similar in size to the modern species <i>Cystophora cristata</i>. This intriguing species has been virtually ignored in the literature except for a few comprehensive works, where <i>Platyphoca vulgaris</i> is listed among species from the Pliocene of Europe (e. g. Trouessart, 1904; Kellogg, 1922; Simpson, 1945; King, 1964; Muizon, 1992).
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 426-427, DOI: 10.2478/vzoo-2014-0050, http://zenodo.org/record/6449169
description: {"references": ["Van Beneden, P. J. Description des ossements fossiles des environs d'Anvers, 1. Pinnipedes ou amphitheriens // Musee Royal d'Histoire Naturelle de Belgique, Annales. - 1877. - 1. - P. 1 - 88.", "Van Beneden, P. J. Les phoques fossiles du bassin d'Anvers // Bulletins de l'Academie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique - 1876 a. - 41. - P. 783 - 802.", "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.", "Trouessart, E. L. Catalogus mammalium tam viventium quam fossilium. Quinquennale supplementum anno 1904, 1. Primates, Prosimiae, Chiroptera, Insectivora, Carnivora, Pinnipedia. - Berolini: R. Friedlander and Sohn, 1904. - 288 p.", "Kellogg, R. Pinnipeds from Miocene and Pleistocene deposits of California // University of California Publications, Bulletin of the Department of Geological Sciences. - 1922. - 13. - P. 23 - 132.", "Simpson, G. G. The principles of classification and a classification of mammals // Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. - 1945. - 85. - P. 1 - 350.", "King, J. E. Seals of the world. - London: British Museum, Natural History, 1964. - 154 p.", "Muizon de, C. Palaontologie // Handbuch der Saugetiere Europas 6. Meeressauger 2. Robben-Pinnipedia / Eds R. Duguy, D. Robineau. - Wiesbaden: AULA - Verlag, 1992. - P. 34 - 41."]}