| Prophaethon Temporal range: Early Eocene, | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| 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.
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]
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