Waiparadyptes

Waiparadyptes
Temporal range: Early Paleocene (Danian), ~
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Clade: Austrodyptornithes
Order: Sphenisciformes
Genus: †
Mayr et al., 2025
Species:
†W. gracilitarsus
Binomial name
†Waiparadyptes gracilitarsus
Mayr et al., 2025

Waiparadyptes (meaning "Waipa [Greensand] diver") is a genus of extinct penguins known from the Paleocene (Thanetian age) Waipara Greensand of New Zealand. The genus contains a single species, Waiparadyptes gracilitarsus, known from a partial skeleton including a partial skull and mandible, as well as a partial left humerus and tarsometatarsus. Waiparadyptes has a surprisingly slender tarsometatarsus, while most early-diverging penguins have short and robust tarsometatarsi.[1]

Waiparadyptes is one of many early-diverging sphenisciforms from the Waipara Greensand, all of which represent some of the oldest known penguins in the fossil record. The other named genera include Archaeodyptes, Daniadyptes, Muriwaimanu, Sequiwaimanu, Waimanu, and Waimanutaha.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Mayr, Gerald; De Pietri, Vanesa L.; Proffitt, James; Blokland, Jacob C.; Clarke, Julia A.; Love, Leigh; Mannering, Al A.; Crouch, Erica M.; Reid, Catherine; Scofield, R. Paul (2025-08-12). "Multiple exceptionally preserved fossils from the Paleocene Waipara Greensand inform the diversity of the oldest stem group Sphenisciformes and the formation of their diving adaptations". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 204 (4): zlaf080. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf080. ISSN 0024-4082.
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