Prophaethon
| Prophaethon Temporal range: Early Eocene, | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Phaethontiformes |
| Family: | †Prophaethontidae |
| Genus: | †Prophaethon |
| Species: | †P. shrubsolei |
| Binomial name | |
| †Prophaethon shrubsolei Andrews, 1899 | |
Prophaethon is an extinct genus of seabird that lived during the Early Eocene (Ypresian, c.56-49 mya). As indicated by its generic name, it is a distant relative of the tropicbirds.
Distribution
[edit]The type species, P. shrubsolei, is essentially known from a holotype specimen consisting of fairly comprehensive fossil remains of a single individual, namely a skull and some limb bones, which were recovered from the London Clay on the Isle of Sheppey, England.[1] Since its initial description, more remains of P. shrubsolei were described by Gerald Mayr, having been found at Walton-on-the-Naze, also in the London Clay.[2] A second species, P. waltonensis, has also been described from fossil remains hailing from Walton-on-the-Naze.[3]
References
[edit]- ↑ Andrews, Chas. W. (1899). "On the Remains of a new Bird from the London Clay of Sheppey". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 67 (3): 776–785. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1899.tb06889.x. hdl:2027/njp.32101055916900.
- ↑ Mayr, Gerald (January 2015). Voelker, Gary (ed.). "New remains of the Eocene Prophaethon and the early evolution of tropicbirds (Phaethontiformes)". Ibis. 157 (1): 54–67. doi:10.1111/ibi.12214. ISSN 0019-1019. Retrieved 4 March 2025 – via Wiley Online Library.
- ↑ Mayr, Gerald; Kitchener, Andrew C. (29 October 2024). "A new species of the Prophaethontidae (Aves, Phaethontiformes) from the early Eocene London Clay". Historical Biology: 1–8. doi:10.1080/08912963.2024.2418895. ISSN 0891-2963. Retrieved 4 March 2025 – via Taylor and Francis Online.
 | This prehistoric bird article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
 | This Phaethontiformes-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |