''Tohoraata'' is a genus of eomysticetid

baleen whale Baleen whales (systematic name Mysticeti), also known as whalebone whales, are a parvorder of carnivorous marine mammals of the infraorder Cetacea (whales, dolphins and porpoises) which use keratinaceous baleen plates (or "whalebone") in their ...

from the Late Oligocene (

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 ...

. There are two recognized species, ''T. raekohao'' and ''T. waitakiensis''.Robert W. Boessenecker and R. Ewan Fordyce (2014). "A new Eomysticetid (Mammalia: Cetacea) from the Late Oligocene of New Zealand and a re-evaluation of ‘Mauicetus’ waitakiensis". Papers in Palaeontology. in press. doi:10.1002/spp2.1005.

Classification

''Tohoraata'' is a member of the family Eomysticetidae, a family of primitive baleen-bearing mysticetes (chaeomysticetes). The type species, ''T. raekohao'', is based on OU 22178, a partial skull associated with a thoracic vertebra and five ribs, collected from the Maerewhenua Member of the Otekaike Limestone. On the other hand, ''T. waitakiensis'', is known from OMC GL 402, a partial skull and five neck vertebrae collected in the Kokoamu Greensand. It was originally described as a species of ''

Mauicetus ''Mauicetus'' is a genus of extinct baleen whale 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 geol ...

'', but was eventually recognized as more primitive than the type species of ''Mauicetus'', being closely related to '' Eomysticetus'' and '' Yamatocetus''.Steeman, M. E. 2007. Cladistic analysis and a revised classification of fossil and recent mysticetes. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 150, 875–894.

Description

''Tohoraata'' is distinct from all eomysticetid taxa, including ''

Tokarahia ''Tokarahia'' is a genus of eomysticetid baleen whale from the Late Oligocene (Chattian) of New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the No ...

'', in having a posterolaterally directed exoccipital. The two species of ''Tohoraata'' differ from each other in the structure of the tympanic bulla, and differ from ''Eomysticetus'' and ''Yamatocetus'' in possessing numerous foramina in the frontal.

References

Oligocene mammals of Oceania Oligocene cetaceans Extinct animals of New Zealand Prehistoric cetacean genera {{Paleo-whale-stub