''Otekaikea'' 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 possessing teeth, such as the beaked whales and sperm whales. Seventy-three species of t ...

closely related to ''

Waipatia ''Waipatia'' is an extinct genus of whale from the late Oligocene (Chattian) of New Zealand. Taxonomy The type species, ''Waipatia maerewhenua'' is known from a single skull found near 45° South in Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a ...

''. It is known from the late

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...

(

Chattian The Chattian is, in the geologic timescale, the younger of two ages or upper of two stages of the Oligocene Epoch/Series. It spans the time between . The Chattian is preceded by the Rupelian and is followed by the Aquitanian (the lowest stage ...

) of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Description

''Otekaikea'' is a medium-sized odontocete similar to ''Waipatia'' in the following characters: maxilla and occipital partly separated by parietal; flat dorsal surface of periotic; long posterior process of the periotic; and poorly developed ventromedial keel of the bulla. Differences from other archaic odontocetes include: broad dished face; elevated nodular subrhomboidal nasals and elevated frontals; smooth-surfaced premaxillary sac fossae without prominent premaxillary sulci developed posteriorly; premaxillae strongly bifurcated posteriorly, associated with bilateral posterior accessory foramina and elevated crests on the maxillae; periotic with long slender parallel-sided posterior process, and sharp apex of anterior process.Tanaka Y, Fordyce RE (2014) Fossil Dolphin Otekaikea marplesi (Latest Oligocene, New Zealand) Expands the Morphological and Taxonomic Diversity of Oligocene Cetaceans. PLoS ONE 9(9): e107972. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0107972

Taxonomy

''Otekaikea'' was originally described as a species of ''

Prosqualodon ''Prosqualodon'' is an extinct genus of Early to Middle Miocene cetacean from Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and Venezuela. Description ''Prosqualodon'' was related to and looked like modern toothed whales. It was about long and resembl ...

'', ''P. marplesi''. In 1994, it was referred to the genus ''

Notocetus ''Notocetus'' is an extinct genus of river dolphin belonging to Squalodelphinidae. Known specimens have been found in Early Miocene marine deposits from Argentina, Italy and Peru. Taxonomy ''Notocetus'' was unnecessarily given the replacement na ...

'' in the original description of ''Waipatia''. Preparation of the holotype, however, established its affinities with ''Waipatia'', and ''Prosqualodon marplesi'' was given its own genus, ''Otekaikea'', after the Otekaike Limestone in

where it was first discovered. A second species, ''Otekaikea huata'', differs from the type species in having single-rooted posterior cheek teeth and a reduced ascending process of the premaxilla.Tanaka, Yoshihiro and Fordyce, R. Ewan 2015. A new Oligo-Miocene dolphin from New Zealand: Otekaikea huata expands diversity of the early Platanistoidea. Palaeontologia Electronica 18.2.23A: 1-71 palaeo-electronica.org/content/2015/1161-fossil-platanistoid-dolphin

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18385682 Prehistoric toothed whales Prehistoric cetacean genera Oligocene cetaceans Paleogene Oceania Fossils of New Zealand Fossil taxa described in 2014