cuverii [originally Balaena] (type)Fischer 1829 Protororqualus is a genus of extinct rorqual from the late Pliocene (Piacenzian, 3.6 to 2.6 Ma) of Mount Pulgnasco, Italy (45°06′N 9°42′E / 45.1°N 9.7°E / 45.1; 9.7: paleocoordinates 45°00′N 9°36′E / 45.0°N 9.6°E / 45.0; 9.6).

This would indicate that the Mediterranean Basin played a vital role in preserving primitive rorquals, while more derived forms established themselves in other oceans.

The Mount Pulgnasco specimen represents an early rorqual that fed differently from modern species.

Another primitive character is that the anterior border of the supraoccipital is triangular and pointed like in Miocene Cetotheriidae.

[6] Later work, however, showed that the Mount Pulgnasco skeleton was generically distinct from other fossil and extant rorquals to warrant its own genus.