Indocetus Explained

Indocetus is a protocetid early whale known from the late early Eocene (Lutetian,) Harudi Formation (paleocoordinates)^[1] in Kutch, India.

The holotype of is a partial skull in two pieces with the frontal shield and the right occiput and auditory bulla preserved.

described postcranial remains from the Sulaiman Range, Punjab, Pakistan, and attributed them to Indocetus., however, withdrew this assignment and instead attributed this postcranial material to Remingtonocetus because of similarities to the then newly discovered remingtonocetid Dalanistes, including a longer neck and fused sacral vertebral elements.This leaves Indocetus without postcranial remains, but undescribed material (as of 1998) from Kutch most likely include some that can be attributed to Indocetus. Furthermore, Rodhocetus, also from Sulaiman, is very similar to Indocetus and it is possible that these genera are synonyms.

Indocetus is known from a partial skull, two endocasts, a right tympanic, and a right maxilla; all from the Harudi Formation. Indocetus has prominent protocones on the molars, distinguishing it from Protocetus, Eocetus, Babiacetus, and Georgiacetus. P¹ is single-rooted like Rodhocetus. The tympanic bulla is more narrow than in Protocetus and Georgiacetus.

The endocasts included dental material, including alveoli and the bases of cheek teeth but not the crowns. P^3–4 are three-rooted and probably had protocones. The molars are smaller than the premolars and decrease from M¹ to M³. M¹ and M² have large protocone lobs.

References

• Book: Bajpai . S. . Hans Thewissen . Thewissen. J. G. M. . Middle Eocene Cetaceans from the Harudi and Subathu Formations of India . 213–233 . Thewissen . J. G. M. . The Emergence of Whales: Evolutionary Patterns in the Origin of Cetacea . Advances in vertebrate paleobiology . 1998 . New York . Plenum Press . https://books.google.com/books?id=zgWIL6ELoJoC&pg=PA223 . 27 July 2013 . 9780306458538 . 300450327 .
• Gingerich . P. D. . Philip D. Gingerich . Raza . S. Mahmood . Arif . Muhammad . Anwar . Muhammad . Zhou, Xiaoyuan . Partial skeletons of Indocetus ramani (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the lower middle Eocene Domanda Shale in the Sulaiman Range of Punjab (Pakistan) . 1993 . Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, the University of Michigan . 28 . 16 . 393–416 . 27 July 2013 .
• Gingerich . P. D. . Arif . Muhammad . Clyde . William C. . New Archaeocetes (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the middle Eocene Domanda Formation of the Sulaiman Range, Punjab (Pakistan) . 1995 . Contributions from Museum of Paleontology, the University of Michigan . 29 . 11 . 291–330 . 2027.42/48650 . 34123868 .
• Sahni . Ashok . Mishra . Vijay Prakash . Lower Tertiary vertebrates from western India . 1975 . Monograph of the Paleontological Society of India . 3 . 1–48 . 3566369 . B0007AL8UE .
• Book: Williams, Ellen . Synopsis of the Earliest Cetaceans: Pakicetidae, Ambulocetidae, Remingtonocetidae, and Protocetidae . 2–15 . The Emergence of Whales: Evolutionary Patterns in the Origin of Cetacea . Advances in Vertebrate Paleobiology . Thewissen. J.G.M. . 1998 . Springer . https://books.google.com/books?id=zgWIL6ELoJoC&pg=PA12 . 9780306458538 . 300450327 .

Notes and References

1. . Retrieved 27 July 2013.