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Deciduous Dentitions of Eocene Cebochoerid Artiodactyls and Cetartiodactyl Relationships

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Abstract

Deciduous lower premolars (milk teeth) of the Eocene artiodactyl family Cebochoeridae possess accessory denticles and are remarkably similar to both deciduous and adult teeth of the cetacean family Basilosauridae, suggesting that morphological characters of juvenile dentitions are important to understanding the phylogenetic origin of whales and morphological transitions in the cetartiodactyl lineage. Incorporation of these new characters into a larger phylogenetic analysis of morphological characters of artiodactyls, mesonychids, and basal and recent whales supports a monophyletic Cetartiodactyla, but does not directly support a whale–hippo relationship. However, the presence of accessory denticles on some artiodactyl dentitions weakens the morphological support for a monophyletic Artiodactyla, suggesting either that whales and cebochoerids may be more closely related than had been thought, or that cebochoerids share a developmental pathway with cetaceans.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Illinois State Museum, Springfield, Illinois, 62703, USA

    Jessica M. Theodor

  2. John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Kimberly, Oregon, 97848, USA

    Scott E. Foss

  3. Illinois State Museum Research and Collections Center, 1011 East Ash Street, Springfield, Illinois, 62703, USA

    Jessica M. Theodor

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  1. Jessica M. Theodor
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  2. Scott E. Foss
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Correspondence to Jessica M. Theodor.

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Theodor, J.M., Foss, S.E. Deciduous Dentitions of Eocene Cebochoerid Artiodactyls and Cetartiodactyl Relationships. J Mammal Evol 12, 161–181 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-005-5706-6

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