| Pakudyptes | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Sphenisciformes |
| Genus: | †Pakudyptes Ando et al., 2024 |
| Species: | †P. hakataramea
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Pakudyptes hakataramea Ando et al., 2024
| |
Pakudyptes (meaning "small diver") is a genus of extinct penguins from the late Oligocene Otekaike Limestone of New Zealand. The genus contains a single species, P. hakataramea, known from three fragmentary limb bones.
Discovery and naming
The Pakudyptes fossil material was discovered in 1987 in the Hakataramea Quarry, representing sediments of the Otekaike Limestone, in the Hakataramea Valley of South Canterbury, New Zealand. The holotype specimen, OU 21977, consists of most of a left humerus. The top half of a left ulna (OU 21976) and a partial right femur (OU 21966)—both likely belonging to the same individual of the holotype—were also referred to the genus.[1]
Following the discovery of the fossil material, it was first mentioned in the scientific literature in 1990 as the "Hakataramea bird". Later researchers in 1991 and 2004 considered it possible that the material actually belonged to the small extinct South American genus Eretiscus. However, subsequent examination of the fossil material reported in a 2007 dissertation established that the remains were indeed distinct from this genus.[1]
In 2024, Ando et al. described Pakudyptes hakataramea as a new genus and species of extinct penguin based on these fossil remains. The generic name, Pakudyptes, combines the Māori word "paku", meaning "small", with the Greek word "dyptes"—a common suffix for penguin generic names—meaning "diver". The specific name, hakataramea, references the type locality in the Hakataramea Valley.[1] The word itself is derived from the Māori phrases "ha-ka", referring to a dance, and "ta-ra-me-a", meaning "with speargrass".[2][3]
Description
Based on the preserved fossil material, Pakudyptes is classified as a tiny penguin. It was likely similar in size to the extant little blue penguin, which is 40–45 centimetres (16–18 in) long and 30–35 centimetres (12–14 in) tall when standing.[1]
Classification
In their phylogenetic analyses, Ando et al. (2024) recovered Pakudyptes as a late-diverging penguin closely related to crown-group spenisciforms. Their results are displayed in the cladogram of penguin evolutionary relationships below:[1]
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References
- ^ a b c d e Ando, Tatsuro; Robinson, Jeffrey; Loch, Carolina; Nakahara, Tamon; Hayashi, Shoji; Richards, Marcus D.; Fordyce, Robert Ewan (2024-07-31). "A new tiny fossil penguin from the Late Oligocene of New Zealand and the morphofunctional transition of the penguin wing". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand: 1–22. doi:10.1080/03036758.2024.2362283. ISSN 0303-6758.
- ^ "Hakataramea". New Zealand History. Archived from the original on 2023-04-01. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
- ^ Fordyce, R. E.; Marx, F. G. (2016). "Mysticetes baring their teeth: a new fossil whale, Mammalodon hakataramea, from the Southwest Pacific" (PDF). Memoirs of Museum Victoria. 74: 107–116. doi:10.24199/j.mmv.2016.74.11.
- ^ Ksepka, Daniel T.; Clarke, Julia A.; DeVries, Thomas J.; Urbina, Mario (2008-07-22). "Osteology of Icadyptes salasi, a giant penguin from the Eocene of Peru". Journal of Anatomy. 213 (2): 131–147. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7580.2008.00927.x. ISSN 0021-8782. PMC 2526106. PMID 18564073.
This page was last edited on 8 August 2024, at 06:49