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(Mitchell & Tedford, 1973). Some members of the subfamily Squalodontinae have very large
and procumbent incisors and canines, and in
Squalodon whitmorei
Dooley, 2005, the anterior
end of the rostrum is prominently expanded laterally (Dooley, 2005). The relationships of
southern hemisphere species of
Prosqualodon
are uncertain (Fordyce, 2006), but here we
included them in the family Squalodontidae until work has been done to resolve their precise
relationships (fide Cozzuol, 1996).
Family Waipatiidae
The extinct family Waipatiidae was originally based on
Waipatia maerewhenua
Fordyce,
1994. The holotype and only known specimen of this species is of Late Oligocene age from
New Zealand, and its characters were illustrated and described by Fordyce (1994, 2006). Its
braincase is telescoped to the same extent as in members of the Squalodontidae, resulting in
the nares being at the level of the posterior parts of the orbits, and the nasal bones being short,
wide, and blocky. The rostrum is not elongated as it is in members of the Allodelphinidae,
and the mandible is relatively stout. The dentition retains traces of heterodonty, but its teeth
are smaller than are those of the squalodontids. The anterior teeth have long and tapered
crowns, and the two-rooted cheek teeth have crowns that are expanded anteroposteriorly and
have accessory cusps.
Figure 5
.
Skull, reconstructed, of the holotype of the best known member of the platanistoid family
Waipatiidae, the South Pacific
Waipatia maerewhenua
Fordyce, 1994, Late Oligocene age, New
Zealand; A
,
dorsal view; B
,
left lateral view.
Waipatia maerewhenua
is the type species of the genus
Waipatia,
which is the type genus of the family Waipatiidae; modified from Fordyce (1994:figs. 5A,
6A); scale bar equals 10 cm.
Fordyce (1994) noted similarities between
Waipatia maerewhenua
and the relatively
poorly understood Northern Hemisphere fossil odontocetes
Sulakocetus dagestanicus
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