''Agorophius'' is an extinct genus of

toothed whale The toothed whales (also called odontocetes, systematic name Odontoceti) are a parvorder of cetaceans that includes dolphins, porpoises, and all other whales with teeth, such as beaked whales and the sperm whales. 73 species of toothed wha ...

that lived during the

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

period, approximately , in the waters off what is now

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

Taxonomy

The holotype of ''Agorophius pygmaeus'', MCZ 8761, was first mentioned in an 1848 report on the geology of South Carolina by Michael Tuomey. It was eventually described as ''Zeuglodon pygmaeus'' by

Johannes Peter Müller Johannes Peter Müller (14 July 1801 – 28 April 1858) was a German physiologist, comparative anatomist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist, known not only for his discoveries but also for his ability to synthesize knowledge. The paramesonephri ...

in 1849. Louis Agassiz coined the name ''Phocodon holmesii'' for the same specimen, classifying it as an odontocete. Later authors considered ''Zeuglodon pygmaeus'' a species of either ''

Dorudon ''Dorudon'' ("spear-tooth") is a genus of extinct basilosaurid ancient whales that lived alongside ''Basilosaurus'' 41.03 to 33.9 million years ago in the Eocene. It was a small whale, with ''D. atrox'' measuring long and weighing . ''Dorudon'' ...

'' or '' Squalodon'', and in 1895

Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840 – April 12, 1897) was an American zoologist, paleontology, paleontologist, comparative anatomy, comparative anatomist, herpetology, herpetologist, and ichthyology, ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker fam ...

eventually recognized it as being a distinct genus, which he named ''Agorophius''. Although the skull is lost and the tooth is the only extant part of MCZ 8761, Fordyce (1981) was able to diagnose ''Agorophius'' based on existing descriptions of the skull by Muller, Cope, and Agassiz.R. E. Fordyce. 1981. Systematics of the odontocete whale Agorophius pygmaeus and the Family Agorophiidae (Mammalia: Cetacea). Journal of Paleontology 55(5):1028-1045. New specimens from the

Ashley Formation The Ashley Formation is a Formation (geology), geologic formation in South Carolina. It preserves fossils dating back to the Paleogene Period (geology), period. Vertebrate fauna Mammals Reptiles Fish Cartilaginous fish Bony fish ...

and Chandler Bridge Formation have provided new data on ''Agorophius'', distinguishing it from other Oligocene odontocetes from the US Eastern Seaboard by the condition of its intertemporal condition.S. Godfrey, M. D. Uhen, J. E. Osborne and L. E. Edwards. 2016. A new specimen of Agorophius pygmaeus (Agorophiidae, Odontoceti, Cetacea) from the early Oligocene Ashley Formation of South Carolina, USA. Journal of Paleontology 90(1):154-169.

Classification

''Agorophius'' is the type genus of Agorophiidae, named by Abel in 1914. A number of archaic odontocetes (e.g. '' Archaeodelphis'', '' Microzeuglodon'', and '' Xenorophus'') were previously assigned to this family, but are now recognized as belonging to distinct families ( Xenorophidae).

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q48783552 Prehistoric toothed whales Oligocene cetaceans Prehistoric mammals of North America Monotypic prehistoric cetacean genera Fossil taxa described in 1895 Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope