A new Dugonginae sirenian from the early Miocene of India

Abstract

We redescribe the holotype skull of "Metaxytherium" kachchhense Bajpai, Singh, and Singh, 1987, and erect for it the new genus Bharatisiren. This skull is the best-preserved specimen of a fossil sirenian so far reported from the Indian Ocean region, and is also the first fossil from that region that is unequivocally referable to the subfamily Dugonginae. Bharatisiren kachchhensis (new combination) is related cladistically to other members of the subfamily as follows: (Crenatosiren (Dugong (Bharatisiren (other dugongines)))). The Dugonginae probably arose in the Caribbean-western Atlantic region, and underwent an adaptive radiation and pantropical dispersal in the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene.