A well-preserved new mid-paleocene penguin (Aves, Sphenisciformes) from the Waipara Greensand in New Zealand

Mayr, Gérald; Pietri, Vanesa L. De; Love, Leigh; Mannering, Al A.; Scofield, R. Paul

doi:10.1080/02724634.2017.1398169

Cited by 24 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Data set. We constructed a phylogenetic data matrix to assess the relationships of the Chatham Island taxa in the framework of existing phylogenies from the matrices of , , , , , Mayr et al ( , 2018b, and using the most recent character definitions and states. GenBank accession numbers for molecular sequences are detailed in Table A1.…”

Section: Phylogenetic Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Characters. Two new characters were added to the resultant matrix: one relating tarsometatarsus trochlea metatarsi III morphology (character 266) as described in Mayr et al (2018b: figure 2), and one pertaining to ulna shaft shape (character 203). While there is no certainty in assigning isolated elements to taxa named solely from tarsometatarsi (see , some character scores were inputted based on fossils from the Eocene La Meseta Formation, referred to taxa by and .…”

Section: Phylogenetic Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Abbreviations: ee, eroded end; fad, facies articularis digitalis major; fam, facies articularis metacarpalis; fma, facies articularis digitalis major; fmi, facies articularis digitalis minor; mII, os metacarpale majus (metacarpal II); mIII, os metacarpale minus (metacarpal III); pc, pila cranialis phalangis; pp, proximally directed process; si, sulcus interosseous; sim, spatium intermetacarpale; smd, symphysis metacarpalis distalis. The images in 6.3 and 6.5 are reprinted from Mayr et al (2018b, fig. 4G distal, 5, proximal, 6, lateral, 7, plantar, and 8, medial views.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tropicbirds have also been shown to have a close relationship to this core waterbird clade (e.g., Prum et al, 2015;Houde et al, 2019). Late Cretaceous and early Paleogene fossils are well known for the Sphenisciformes Slack et al, 2006;Mayr et al, , 2018b, Procellariiformes (Olson and Parris, 1987;Ksepka and Cracraft, 2008), and Phaethontiformes (Mayr and Scofield, 2016), though are not convincingly assigned for Gaviiformes (see Lambrecht, 1929;Chatterjee, 1989Chatterjee, , 2000Chiappe and Dyke, 2002;Mayr, 2004;Mayr et al, 2013;Mayr, 2014;Acosta Hospitaleche and Gelfo, 2015;Mayr, 2017;Mayr et al, 2018a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Penguin fossils are relatively abundant in southern high-latitude Cenozoic sites, possibly due to their greater fossilisation potential, considering their shallow marine habitat and robust limb bones . Until recently sphenisciform fossils from the Paleocene were scarce (Jadwiszczak, 2009;Mayr et al, , 2018b, however, the origin of basal stem-penguin evolution remains poorly resolved . The oldest described sphenisciforms are from the Waipara Greensand in the Waipara River, Canterbury, New Zealand.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Chatham Island Paleocene fossils provide insight into the palaeobiology, evolution, and diversity of early penguins (Aves, Sphenisciformes)

Blokland

Reid

Worthy

et al. 2019

Palaeontol Electron

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Numerous skeletal remains recovered in situ from the late early to middle Paleocene Takatika Grit of Chatham Island, New Zealand, are among the oldest known fossils attributed to the penguin clade (Aves, Sphenisciformes). They represent a new medium-sized taxon, for which we erect a new genus and species, and a second, notably larger form. These new penguins are analysed in a parsimony and Bayesian framework using an updated and revised phylogenetic matrix, based on morphological and molecular characters, and interpreted as among the most basal of known sphenisciforms, closely related to Waimanu. While sharing numerous characteristics with the earliest wing-propelled divers, the novel taxon records the oldest occurrence of the characteristic penguin tarsometatarsus morphology. These ancient Chatham Island representatives add to a growing number and increased morphological diversity of Paleocene penguins in the New Zealand region, suggesting an origin for the group there. With their addition to other Paleocene penguins, these taxa reveal that sphenisciforms rapidly diversified as non-volant piscivores in the southern oceans following the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. They also provide further evidence for the hypothesis that their origin predates the Paleocene. This implies that stem Sphenisciformes and their sister group, the Procellariiformes, both originated in, and so may be expected to occur in, the Late Cretaceous.

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Section: Phylogenetic Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Phylogenetic Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Chatham Island Paleocene fossils provide insight into the palaeobiology, evolution, and diversity of early penguins (Aves, Sphenisciformes)

Blokland

Reid

Worthy

et al. 2019

Palaeontol Electron

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Oldest, smallest and phylogenetically most basal pelagornithid, from the early Paleocene of New Zealand, sheds light on the evolutionary history of the largest flying birds

Mayr

Pietri

Love³

et al. 2019

Papers in Palaeontology

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The Cenozoic Pelagornithidae, or pseudotoothed birds, are characterized by unique bony projections along the cutting edges of the beak. These birds were previously known from late Paleocene to Pliocene fossil sites and some species reached wingspans up to 6.4 m. Here we describe a partial skeleton of a small‐sized pelagornithid from the early Paleocene of New Zealand. Protodontopteryx ruthae gen. et sp. nov. is the oldest record of the clade, the smallest known species, and the first pre‐Eocene pelagornithid from the Southern Hemisphere. The skull of the new species exhibits the characteristic pelagornithid morphology, but the postcranial skeleton distinctly differs from other pelagornithids, and various plesiomorphic features indicate that it is the earliest‐diverging representative of the Pelagornithidae. The much stouter humerus suggests that the new species was less adapted to sustained soaring than previously known pelagornithids. Pseudoteeth therefore evolved before pelagornithids became highly specialized gliders. Unlike the giant Neogene pelagornithid species, which presumably were skimmers, early Paleocene pelagornithids are likely to have targeted selected prey items and may have been predominantly piscivorous. The new species furthermore suggests that pelagornithids evolved in the Southern Hemisphere and documents a very early radiation of neornithine seabirds, which may have been triggered by changes in marine ecosystems around the K–Pg boundary.

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Calibrations from the Fossil Record

Nguyen

2020

The Molecular Evolutionary Clock

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A well-preserved new mid-paleocene penguin (Aves, Sphenisciformes) from the Waipara Greensand in New Zealand

Cited by 24 publications

References 40 publications

Chatham Island Paleocene fossils provide insight into the palaeobiology, evolution, and diversity of early penguins (Aves, Sphenisciformes)

Chatham Island Paleocene fossils provide insight into the palaeobiology, evolution, and diversity of early penguins (Aves, Sphenisciformes)

Oldest, smallest and phylogenetically most basal pelagornithid, from the early Paleocene of New Zealand, sheds light on the evolutionary history of the largest flying birds

Calibrations from the Fossil Record

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