Brian Marples (1952) created the genus Platydyptes to include the wide-flippered penguin named earlier by W.R.B. (Brook) Oliver, and Marples’ own newly named Amies penguin. George Gaylord Simpson added a third species to the genus in 1971. The genus name is a combination of the Greek platys, broad and flat, and dyptes, diver, referring to the shape of the humerus.

Platydyptes penguins were large penguins of the Late Oligocene – Early Miocene (25-22 million years ago). All specimens referred to the genus were found in North Otago or South Canterbury. Simpson’s penguin was the smallest member of the genus.

Simpson’s penguin was named based on 13 bones from a single individual registered as from Oamaru, but probably from Wharekuri, Waitaki Valley, and estimated to be 25 million-years-old. The holotype (OM C.47.15) is held in the Otago Museum.

The species name honours Professor Brian Marples (1907-1997) “the unique authority on New Zealand’s fossil penguins”. As the common name ‘Marples’ penguin is used for Palaeeudyptes marplesi, the common name for Platydyptes marplesi honours the American paleontologist George Gaylord Simpson (1902-1984), who named the species.

Weblinks

http://fossilpenguins.wordpress.com/2010/01/11/dr-marples-and-his-penguins/

References

Marples, B.J. 1952. Early Tertiary penguins of New Zealand. New Zealand Geological Survey, Paleontological Bulletin 20: 1-66.

Oliver, W.R.B. 1930. New Zealand birds. Wellington, Fine Arts.

Simpson, G.G. 1971. A review of the pre-Pliocene penguins of New Zealand. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 144: 319-378.

Recommended citation

Miskelly, C.M. 2013 [updated 2022]. Simpson’s penguin. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz