''Palaeospheniscus'' is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

penguin Penguins (order Sphenisciformes , family Spheniscidae ) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Highly adap ...

s belonging to the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classifica ...

Palaeospheniscinae. These

s are apparently not closely related to the modern genus ''

Spheniscus The banded penguins are penguins that belong to the genus ''Spheniscus''. There are four living species, all with similar banded plumage patterns. They are sometimes also known as "jack-ass penguins" due to their loud locator calls sounding simil ...

''.

Description

The species of ''Palaeospheniscus'' were medium-sized to largish penguins, ranging from ''P. gracilis'' with an estimated maximal length of 55 cm to ''P. wimani'', which reached up to 73 cm.

Species

This genus contains the following three

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

:Paleobiology Database
/ref> *'' Palaeospheniscus patagonicus'' ( type) *'' Palaeospheniscus bergi'' *'' Palaeospheniscus biloculatus'' The following other species are disputed: *'' Palaeospheniscus wimani'' (disputed) *'' Palaeospheniscus gracilis'' (disputed) They are all (except ''P. bergi'', which is somewhat enigmatic) known from one or two handful of bones. Most of the specimens were found in Santa Cruz and

Chubut Province Chubut ( es, Provincia del Chubut, ; cy, Talaith Chubut) is a province in southern Argentina, situated between the 42nd parallel south (the border with Río Negro Province), the 46th parallel south (bordering Santa Cruz Province), the Ande ...

s of

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

. The fossils were recovered from the Patagonian Molasse Formation, and are probably Early

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

to Late Miocene or possibly Early

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Early Oligocene The Rupelian is, in the geologic timescale, the older of two ages or the lower of two stages of the Oligocene Epoch/ Series. It spans the time between . It is preceded by the Priabonian Stage (part of the Eocene) and is followed by the Chattian ...

, but this is now thought to be erroneous.

Distribution

Specimen belonging to this genus have been found in the Pliocene of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

, in Miocene to Pliocene of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

, in Miocene of

and

and in Oligocene to Miocene of

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

References

* Moreno, Francisco & Mercerat, A. (1891): Catálogo de los pájaros fósiles de la República Argentina conservados en el Museo de La Plata. ''Anales del Museo de La Plata'' 1: 7-71, 21 plates. * Simpson, George Gaylord (1972): Conspectus of Patagonian fossil penguins. ''American Museum Novitates'' 2488: 1-37
PDF fulltext
* Stucchi, Marcelo; Urbina, Mario & Giraldo, Alfredo (2003): Una nueva especie de Spheniscidae del Mioceno Tardío de la Formación Pisco, Perú. ''Bulletin Institut Français d'Études Andines'' 32(2): 361–375
PDF fulltext

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3889329 Pliocene birds of South America Bird genera Miocene birds of South America Extinct penguins Fossil taxa described in 1891