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Data from: Ancestor-descendant relationships in evolution: origin of the extant pygmy right whale, Caperea marginata

Cite this dataset

Tsai, Cheng-Hsiu; Fordyce, R. Ewan; Tsai, C.-H. (2014). Data from: Ancestor-descendant relationships in evolution: origin of the extant pygmy right whale, Caperea marginata [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.21q24

Abstract

Ancestor–descendant relationships (ADRs), involving descent with modification, are the fundamental concept in evolution, but are usually difficult to recognize. We examined the cladistic relationship between the only reported fossil pygmy right whale, Miocaperea pulchra, and its sole living relative, the enigmatic pygmy right whale Caperea marginata, the latter represented by both adult and juvenile specimens. Miocaperea is phylogenetically bracketed between juvenile and adult Caperea marginata in morphologically based analyses, thus suggesting a possible ADR—the first so far identified within baleen whales (Cetacea: Mysticeti). The Miocaperea–Caperea lineage may show long-term morphological stasis and, in turn, punctuated equilibrium.

Usage notes

Location

New Zealand
the Southern Hemisphere
Peru