Waipatia

Waipatia is an extinct genus of odontocetes from the late Oligocene (Chattian) of New Zealand.

Waipatia Temporal range: Late Oligocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
The fish Megalampris (above) and W. maerewhenua (below)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Suborder:	Whippomorpha
Infraorder:	Cetacea
Family:	†Waipatiidae
Genus:	†Waipatia Fordyce, 1994
Species
W. maerewhenua Fordyce, 1994[1] W. hectori (Benham, 1935)
Synonyms
Microcetus hectori Benham, 1935

Taxonomy

The type species, Waipatia maerewhenua is known from a single skull found near 45° South in Otago.^[2] The second species, W. hectori, was originally named Microcetus hectori in 1935, but later recognized as distinct from Microcetus.^[3][4] "Uncamentodon" was informally coined for M. hectori in a table by Rothausen in a 1970 paper, but the lack of a diagnosis or description made it a nomen nudum. Finally in 2015, M. hectori was recognized as a second species of Waipatia based on preparation of additional material included in the holotype.^[5]