Muriwaimanu

Muriwaimanu Temporal range: Paleocene, ~61.6–58 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Partial specimen of cf. Muriwaimanu tuatahi
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Sphenisciformes
Genus:	†Muriwaimanu Mayr et al., 2018
Species:	†M. tuatahi
Binomial name
†Muriwaimanu tuatahi Mayr et al., 2018
Synonyms
Waimanu tuatahi Slack et al., 2006

Muriwaimanu is an extinct genus of early penguin from the Paleocene Waipara Greensand of New Zealand. Only the type species M. tuatahi is known.^[1]

The name Muriwaimanu comes from muri, Māori for "after", and Waimanu, referring to the fact that the fossils come from younger strata than Waimanu.^[1]

The holotype was discovered in 1980 within the Waipara Greensand near the Waipara River, in Canterbury, New Zealand, and it was initially named Waimanu tuatahi by Slack et al. (2006).^[2] Mayr et al. (2018) re-examined the specimen and determined that it belonged to a separate genus, creating the species Muriwaimanu tuatahi.^[1]

A second specimen from the Waipara Greensand (CM 2018.124.4), identified as belonging to cf. Muriwaimanu tuatahi and consisting of a partial specimen preserved within two blocks of sandstone, was discovered by Leigh Love in 2017 and was described by Mayr et al. (2020).^[3]

Muriwaimanu exhibited a long, narrow beak and paddle-shaped wings, and the fossilized remains also indicate it may have kept their wings in a flexed position during downward strokes, unlike modern penguins whose wings are kept extended, suggesting that Muriwaimanu may be a transition species for modern Antarctic penguins.^[3]

• 2018 in paleontology
• Sequiwaimanu

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Genera of penguins, petrels, and albatrosses and their extinct allies

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Aves
• Infraclass: Neognathae
• Clade: Austrodyptornithes

Sphenisciformes
incertae sedis †Arthrodytes †Aprosdokitos †Kaiika †Kumimanu †Kupoupou †Muriwaimanu †Nucleornis †Orthopteryx †Pakudyptes †Petradyptes †Sequiwaimanu †Tonniornis †Waimanu †Wimanornis Spheniscidae †Crossvallia †Dege †Duntroonornis †Korora †Icadyptes †Inguza †Inkayacu †Kairuku †Marambiornopsis †Marplesornis †Palaeoapterodytes †Perudyptes †Pseudaptenodytes †Tasidyptes †Tereingaornis †Palaeospheniscinae Eretiscus Palaeospheniscus †Paraptenodytinae Arthrodytes Paraptenodytes †"Palaeeudyptinae" Anthropodyptes Anthropornis Archaeospheniscus Delphinornis Marambiornis Mesetaornis Pachydyptes Palaeeudyptes Platydyptes Spheniscinae Aptenodytes Eudyptes Eudyptula †Madrynornis Megadyptes Pygoscelis Spheniscus

Procellariiformes
incertae sedis †Kievornis †Lonchodytes? †Makahala †Diomedeoididae Diomedeoides Rupelornis †Marinavidae Marinavis †Tytthostonychidae Tytthostonyx Diomedeidae †Aldiomedes †Diomedavus Diomedea †Murunkus †Notoleptos Phoebastria Phoebetria †Plotornis Thalassarche †Tydea Oceanitidae Fregetta Garrodia Nesofregetta Oceanites Pelagodroma Hydrobatidae Hydrobates Procellariidae Aphrodroma Ardenna †Argyrodyptes Bulweria Calonectris Daption †Eopuffinus Fulmarus Halobaena Macronectes Pachyptila Pagodroma Pelecanoides †Primodroma Procellaria Pseudobulweria Pterodroma †Pterodromoides Puffinus Thalassoica