Dear colleagues, please find below the abstract and link to our recently published, open access paper on a re-interpretation of the only known fossil pygmy right whale, Miocaperea pulchra, and the status of the living pygmy right whale as the last survivor of the otherwise extinct family Cetotheriidae: Marx, F.G. and Fordyce, N. 2016. A link no longer missing: new evidence for the cetotheriid affinities of Caperea. PLoS ONE 11: e0164059 Link: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0164059 Abstract: The origins of the enigmatic pygmy right whale Caperea marginata, the only living member of its subfamily (Neobalaeninae), are an outstanding mystery of cetacean evolution. Its strikingly disparate morphology sets Caperea apart from all other whales, and has turned it into a wildcard taxon that holds the key to understanding modern baleen whale diversity. Morphological cladistics generally ally this species with right whales, whereas molecular analyses consistently cluster it with rorquals and grey whales (Balaenopteroidea). A recent study potentially resolved this conflict by proposing that Caperea belongs with the otherwise extinct Cetotheriidae, but has been strongly criticised on morphological grounds. Evidence from the neobalaenine fossil record could potentially give direct insights into morphological transitions, but is currently limited to just a single species: the Late Miocene Miocaperea pulchra, from Peru. We show that Miocaperea has a highly unusual morphology of the auditory region, resulting from a–presumably feeding-related–strengthening of the articulation of the hyoid apparatus with the skull. This distinctive arrangement is otherwise only found in the extinct Cetotheriidae, which makes Miocaperea a “missing link” that demonstrates the origin of pygmy right whales from cetotheriids, and confirms the latter’s resurrection from the dead. Kind regards, Felix Marx _____________________________ *Felix G. Marx* PhD Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow *Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium *Monash University, Melbourne, Australia *Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Australia Address: School of Biological Sciences, Monash University 25 Rainforest Walk, VIC 3800, Australia Tel. +61 (0)3 9905 1190 (Monash University) or +61 (0)3 8341 7733 (Museum Victoria)