Facial compartmentalization in the skull of extant pygmy whales (Kogiidae) is a unique feature among cetaceans that allows the housing of a wide array of organs responsible for echolocation. Recent fossil findings depict a remarkable disparity of the facial bone organization in Miocene kogiids, but the significance of such a rearrangement for the evolution of the clade has been barely explored. Here we describe Kogia danomurai sp. nov., a late Miocene (ca. 5.8 Ma) taxon from the Pisco Formation (Peru), based on a partially preserved skull with a new facial bone pattern. Our phylogenetic analysis recovers K. danomurai as the most basal representative of the extant genus Kogia, displaying a combination of derived (incipiently developed and excavated sagittal facial crest) and plesiomorphic features (high position of the temporal fossa and antorbital notch not transformed into a narrow slit). Furthermore, when compared with the extant Kogia, the facial patterning found in K. danomurai indicates differential development among the facial organs, implying different capabilities of sound production relative to extant Kogia spp. Different facial bone patterns are particularly notable within the multi-species kogiid assemblage of the Pisco Formation, which suggests causal connections between different patterns and feeding ecologies (e.g., nekton piscivory and benthic foraging). At about 5.8 Ma, K. danomurai was part of a cetacean community composed by clades typical of the late Miocene as well as other early representatives of extant taxa, a mixture probably depicting the initial faunal change toward the coastal ecosystem dynamics of the present-day Southeastern Pacific.

This dataset contains the character-taxon matrix (.nex file) and the complete list of characters (.pdf file)