Archaeospheniscus wimani

Taxobox
name = "Archaeospheniscus wimani"
fossil_range = Middle or late Eocene
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
subphylum = Vertebrata
classis = Aves
ordo = Sphenisciformes
familia = Spheniscidae
genus = "Archaeospheniscus"
species = "A. wimani"
binomial = "Archaeospheniscus wimani"
binomial_authority = (Marples, 1953)
synonyms = "Notodyptes wimani" Marples, 1953

"Archaeospheniscus wimani" is an extinct species of penguin. It was the smallest species of the genus "Archaeospheniscus", being approximately 75-85 cm high, or about the size of a Gentoo Penguin. It is also the oldest known species of its genus, as its remains were found in Middle or Late Eocene strata (34-50 MYA) of the La Meseta Formation on Seymour Island, Antarctica. It is known from a fair number of bones.

The species' binomen honors Carl Wiman, an early 20th century researcher who laid the groundwork for the classification of the prehistoric penguins.

References

* Jadwiszczak, Piotr (2006): Eocene penguins of Seymour Island, Antarctica: Taxonomy. "Polish Polar Research" 27(1): 3–62. [http://www.polish.polar.pan.pl/ppr27/ppr27-003.pdf PDF fulltext]
* Marples, Brian J. (1953): Fossil penguins from the mid-Tertiary of Seymour Island. "Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey Scientific Reports" 5: 1–15. [http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/Publications/scientific_reports/documents/rep005.zip PDF fulltext (zipped)]
* Myrcha, Andrzej; Jadwiszczak, Piotr; Tambussi, Claudia P.; Noriega, Jorge I.; Gaździcki, Andrzej; Tatur, Andrzej & Del Valle, Rodolfo A. (2002): Taxonomic revision of Eocene Antarctic penguins based on tarsometatarsal morphology. "Polish Polar Research" 23(1): 5–46. [http://www.polish.polar.pan.pl/ppr23/ppr23-005.pdf PDf fulltext]