Joumocetus [SEP] parent taxon
Joumocetus
Joumocetus is a genus of extinct baleen whale in the family Cetotheriidae containing the single species Joumocetus shimizui. The species is known only from a partial skeleton found in Miocene age sediments of Japan.
History and classification.
"Joumocetus shimizui" was described from a mostly complete cranium and associated portions of both mandibles, cervical and thoracic vertebrae. The skeleton was recovered from an outcrop of the earliest late Miocene, Serravallian age Haraichi Formation exposed along the Kabura River near Yoshii, Gunma Prefecture, Japan (, paleocoordinates )
. Kimura and Hasegawa published their 2010 type description for "J. shimizui" in the "Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology". They coined the generic name "Joumocetus" as a combination of an older district name, ""Joumo"" and the Latin "" meaning "whale". The etymology of the chosen specific name "shimizui" is in recognition of Masaru Shimizu who originally found the specimen and donated it to the Gunma Museum of Natural History.
Description.
The skull of "Joumocetus shimizui" is over