Mesokentriodon
| Mesokentriodon | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Holotype skull | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | †Kentriodontidae |
| Genus: | †Mesokentriodon Lambert et al., 2026 |
| Species: | †M. protohumboldti |
| Binomial name | |
| †Mesokentriodon protohumboldti Lambert et al., 2026 | |
Mesokentriodon is an extinct genus of kentriodontid toothed whale known from the Middle Miocene (Langhian–Serravallian ages) Pisco Formation of Peru.[1]
Etymology
In 2026, Olivier Lambert and colleagues named Mesokentriodon protohumboldti as a new genus and species of kentriodontid odontocete (toothed whale) based on two autapomorphies (unique characteristics): a rostrum which was moderately elongated, and 40 teeth in the upper row.[1]
The generic name Mesokentriodon derives from the Ancient Greek meso-, meaning intermediate, and the genus Kentriodon. The specific epithet of the type species, M. protohumboldti, contains the prefix proto-, meaning first or before, and references the Humboldt Current in the latter part.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 Lambert, Olivier; Oberlin, Maëlle; de Muizon, Christian; Collareta, Alberto; Urbina, Mario; Bianucci, Giovanni (19 February 2026). "A new kentriodontid dolphin (Cetacea, Odontoceti, Delphinida) from the Middle Miocene of the southeastern Pacific". Geodiversitas. 48 (3): 25–50. doi:10.5252/geodiversitas2026v48a3. Retrieved 27 February 2026 – via Publications Scientifiques.