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Spheniscidae

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Description

Penguins (order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, with only one species, the Galápagos penguin, found north of the equator. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have evolved into flippers. Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid and other forms of sea life which they catch while swimming underwater. They spend roughly half of their lives on land and the other half in the sea.

From Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spheniscidae, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

Source Data

Source	ID	Link
Global Biodiversity Information Facility ID (GBIF)	5284	https://www.gbif.org/species/5284
PaleoBioDB ID (PBDB)	39710	https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=39710

Rank

family

Taxonomy (GBIF,PBDB)

Life : Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Sphenisciformes : Spheniscidae

Taxonomic Status (GBIF)

accepted

Classification
(PBDB,GBIF)

Rank	Name	Author
-	Eukaryota
-	Opisthokonta	Cavalier-Smith 1987
kingdom	Animalia
-	Triploblastica	Lankester 1877
-	Nephrozoa	Jondelius et al. 2002
-	Deuterostomia	Grobben 1908
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1847
subphylum	Vertebrata	Lamarck 1801
superclass	Gnathostomata	Gegenbauer 1874
-	Osteichthyes
-	Sarcopterygii	Romer 1955
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha
-	Tetrapoda
-	Reptiliomorpha	Säve-Söderbergh 1934
-	Anthracosauria	Säve-Söderbergh 1934
-	Batrachosauria
-	Cotylosauria
-	Amniota	Haeckel 1866
-	Sauropsida	Huxley 1864
class	Reptilia	Laurenti 1768
subclass	Eureptilia
-	Romeriida	Gauthier et al. 1988
-	Diapsida
-	Eosuchia
-	Neodiapsida	Benton 1985
-	Sauria	Gauthier 1984
-	Archosauromorpha
-	Crocopoda	Ezcurra 2016
-	Archosauriformes	Gauthier 1986
-	Eucrocopoda	Ezcurra 2016
-	Archosauria
informal	Avemetatarsalia	Benton 1999
-	Ornithodira	Gauthier 1986
-	Dinosauromorpha	Benton 1985
-	Dinosauriformes	Novas 1992
-	Dinosauria
-	Saurischia
-	Theropoda
-	Neotheropoda	Bakker 1986
-	Averostra	Paul 2002
-	Tetanurae	Gauthier 1986
order	Avetheropoda	Paul 1988
suborder	Coelurosauria	Huene 1914
-	Maniraptora	Gauthier 1986
-	Paraves	Sereno 1997
class	Aves	Linnaeus 1758
-	Pygostylia	Chiappe 2002
-	Ornithothoraces	Chiappe and Calvo 1994
-	Ornithuromorpha	Chiappe et al. 1999
subclass	Ornithurae	Haeckel 1866
-	Carinatae	Merrem 1813
order	Sphenisciformes	Sharpe 1891
family	Spheniscidae	Bonaparte 1831

Scientific Name

Spheniscidae

Opinions (PBDB)

Name	Rank	Opinion	Evidence	Author
Spheniscidae	family	belongs to Impennes	stated without evidence	Moreno and Mercerat, 1891
Spheniscidae	family	belongs to Sphenisciformes	stated without evidence	Lambrecht, 1933
Spheniscidae	family	belongs to Sphenisciformes	implied	Carroll, 1988
Spheniscidae	family	belongs to Sphenisciformes	stated without evidence	Baird, 1992
Spheniscidae	family	belongs to Steganopodes	stated without evidence	Mayr, 2005
Spheniscidae	family	belongs to Sphenisciformes	stated without evidence	Acosta Hospitaleche et al., 2006
Spheniscidae	family	belongs to Aequornithes	stated without evidence	Mayr, 2011
Spheniscidae	family	belongs to Sphenisciformes	stated without evidence	Jadwiszczak and Mörs, 2011
Spheniscidae	family	belongs to Sphenisciformes	stated with evidence	Acosta Hospitaleche, 2014
Spheniscidae	family	belongs to Sphenisciformes	stated without evidence	Chávez Hoffmeister et al., 2014
Spheniscidae	family	belongs to Sphenisciformes	stated with evidence	Clements et al., 2017
Spheniscidae	family	belongs to Sphenisciformes	stated without evidence	Jadwiszczak and Mörs, 2019

Status (PBDB)

extant

Taxon Size (PBDB)

Extant Size (PBDB)

27 (39%)

First Recorded Appearance

66.0 - 55.8 Ma
Paleogene

Environment

marine (based on Sphenisciformes)

Motility

actively mobile (based on Theropoda)

Diet

carnivore (based on Coelurosauria)

Reproduction

oviparous, dispersal=direct/internal,mobile (based on Theropoda)

Ontogeny

accretion,modification of parts (based on Theropoda)

Taphonomy

hydroxylapatite,compact or dense (based on Theropoda)

Primary Reference (PBDB)

R. L. Carroll. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution

Common Name(s)

Penguins, Pinguïns

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spheniscidae

Fossil Distribution

Subtaxa

Name	Status	Common Name(s)	Fossil Occurrences	Oldest	Youngest
Anthropornithinae ✝ subfamily	listed (PBDB)
Palaeeudyptinae ✝ subfamily	listed (PBDB)
Spheniscinae ✝ subfamily	listed (PBDB)
Anthropodyptes ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		1	23.0 Ma Miocene	23.0 Ma Miocene
Aptenodytes genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		3	2.40 Ma Pleistocene	0 Ma Extant
Arthrodytes ✝ genus	listed (PBDB)		2	23.0 Ma Miocene	20.4 Ma Miocene
Crossvallia ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		4	66.0 Ma Late/Upper Cretaceous	58.7 Ma Paleocene
Dege ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		4	11.6 Ma Miocene	5.33 Ma Miocene
Eudyptes genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		17	0.13 Ma Pleistocene	0 Ma Extant
Eudyptula genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		11	0.13 Ma Pleistocene	0 Ma Extant
Halieus genus	accepted (GBIF)	No associated record in PBDB
Inguza ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		4	11.6 Ma Miocene	5.33 Ma Miocene
Madrynornis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		1	11.6 Ma Miocene	11.6 Ma Miocene
Marplesornis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		1	2.40 Ma Pleistocene	2.40 Ma Pleistocene
Megadyptes genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		5	0.13 Ma Pleistocene	0 Ma Extant
Nucleornis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		1	5.33 Ma Miocene	5.33 Ma Miocene
Palaeeudyptes ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		34	56.0 Ma Paleocene	25.2 Ma Oligocene
Paraptenodytes ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		9	23.0 Ma Miocene	16.0 Ma Miocene
Pseudaptenodytes ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		4	7.25 Ma Miocene	7.25 Ma Miocene
Pygoscelis genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		9	16.0 Ma Miocene	0 Ma Extant
Spheniscus genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		22	23.0 Ma Miocene	0 Ma Extant
Tereingaornis ✝ genus	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)		2	3.60 Ma Pliocene	3.60 Ma Pliocene
Pteronectes finlaysoni species	accepted (GBIF)	No associated record in PBDB
Pteronectes hectori species	accepted (GBIF)	No associated record in PBDB

Obsolete Names

Name	Source	Taxon Rank	Taxonomy
Tasidyptes hunteri van Tets & O'Connor, 1983	GBIF	species	Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Sphenisciformes : Spheniscidae : *Tasidyptes hunteri*
Orthopteryx gigas Wiman, 1905	GBIF	species	Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Sphenisciformes : Spheniscidae : *Orthopteryx gigas*
Ichthyopteryx Wiman, 1905	GBIF	genus	Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Sphenisciformes : Spheniscidae : *Ichthyopteryx*
Orthopteryx Wiman, 1905	GBIF	genus	Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Sphenisciformes : Spheniscidae : *Orthopteryx*
Apterodytes ictus (Ameghino, 1901)	GBIF	species	Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Sphenisciformes : Spheniscidae : *Apterodytes ictus*
Palaeoapterodytes ictus (Ameghino, 1901)	GBIF	species	Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Sphenisciformes : Spheniscidae : *Palaeoapterodytes ictus*

Synonymy List

Year	Name and Author
1831	Spheniscidae Bonaparte
1891	Spheniscidae Moreno and Mercerat p. 29
1901	Apterodytes Ameghino p. 81
1901	Apterodytes ictus Ameghino p. 81
1905	Neculus Ameghino
1905	Palaeoapterodytes Ameghino pp. Plate 3, Fig. 16a
1905	Palaeoapterodytes ictus Ameghino
1905	Spheniscidae Ameghino
1905	Palaeoapterodytes Ameghino p. 120
1905	Palaeoapterodytes ictus Ameghino p. 120
1905	Neculus Ameghino p. 125
1905	Ichtyopteryx Ameghino p. 128
1905	Ichtyopteryx gracilis Ameghino p. 128
1905	Orthopteryx Wiman p. 27 figs. Plate VIII Fig 2, a, b
1905	Orthopteryx gigas Wiman p. 27 figs. Plate 8, Fig. 2
1905	Ichtyopteryx Wiman p. 251
1905	Ichtyopteryx gracilis Wiman p. 251
1933	Spheniscidae Lambrecht p. 226
1933	Palaeoapterodytes Lambrecht p. 229
1933	Palaeoapterodytes ictus Lambrecht p. 229
1933	Ichthyopteryx Lambrecht p. 231
1933	Ichthyopteryx gracilis Lambrecht p. 231
1933	Neculus Lambrecht p. 231
1933	Orthopteryx Lambrecht p. 235
1933	Orthopteryx gigas Lambrecht p. 235
1946	Neculus Simpson p. 26
1946	Apterodytes Simpson p. 31
1946	Apterodytes ictus Simpson p. 31
1946	Ichthyopteryx Simpson p. 36
1946	Ichthyopteryx gracilis Simpson p. 36
1963	Spheniscidae Brodkorb p. 231
1963	Orthopteryx Brodkorb p. 234
1963	Orthopteryx gigas Brodkorb p. 234
1963	Ichtyopteryx Brodkorb p. 235
1963	Ichtyopteryx gracilis Brodkorb p. 235
1963	Neculus Brodkorb p. 240
1971	Spheniscidae Simpson p. 334
1971	Orthopteryx Simpson p. 381
1974	Spheniscidae Jenkins p. 293
1979	Spheniscidae Simpson p. 2

Year	Name and Author
1981	Spheniscidae Simpson p. 267
1985	Spheniscidae Jenkins p. 183
1985	Spheniscidae Olson p. 151
1988	Spheniscidae Carroll
1992	Spheniscidae Baird p. 24
1993	Spheniscidae Cheneval p. 89
2002	Spheniscidae Myrcha et al. p. 17
2002	Delphinornis gracilis Myrcha et al. p. 30 figs. Fig. 11
2003	Spheniscidae Clarke et al. p. 3
2003	Spheniscidae Stucchi et al. p. 363
2004	Spheniscidae Acosta Hospitaleche et al. p. 235
2005	Spheniscidae Acosta Hospitaleche and Stucchi p. 2
2005	Spheniscidae Mayr p. 67
2005	Spheniscidae Tambussi et al.
2006	Spheniscidae Acosta Hospitaleche et al.
2006	Spheniscidae Jadwiszczak p. 11
2006	Delphinornis gracilis Jadwiszczak p. 34
2006	Spheniscidae Tambussi et al. p. 151
2006	Spheniscidae Walsh and Suarez p. 117
2007	Spheniscidae Acosta Hospitaleche
2007	Spheniscidae Acosta Hospitaleche et al. p. 301
2007	Delphinornis gracilis Chavez p. 554
2007	Spheniscidae Gohlich p. 286
2007	Spheniscidae Livezey and Zusi p. 90
2008	Spheniscidae Acosta Hospitaleche et al. p. 568
2008	Spheniscidae Acosta Hospitaleche and Tambussi p. 113
2010	Spheniscidae Acosta Hospitaleche and Reguero p. 293
2011	Delphinornis gracilis Jadwiszczak and Mörs p. 271
2011	Spheniscidae Jadwiszczak and Mörs p. 271
2011	Spheniscidae Mayr p. 73 figs. Figure 5
2012	Spheniscidae Jadwiszczak p. 262
2012	Spheniscidae Park and Fitzgerald p. 317
2013	Spheniscidae Jadwiszczak et al. p. 547
2014	Spheniscidae Acosta Hospitaleche p. 557
2014	Spheniscidae Chávez Hoffmeister et al.
2014	Spheniscidae Park p. 451
2014	Spheniscidae del Hoyo et al.
2017	Spheniscidae Clements et al.
2019	Spheniscidae Jadwiszczak and Mörs p. 5

References

Carroll R. L. (1988) , Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution, 1-698

Moreno F. P., Mercerat A. Catalogue des Oiseaux Fossiles de la Republique Argentine conserves au Musee de la Plata, Anales del Museo de la Plata 1, 1-71

Ameghino F. (1901) L' age des Formations sedimentaires de Patagonie, Anales de la Sociedad Cientifica Argentina 52, 189-197

Ameghino F. (1905) Enumeracion de los Impennes Fosiles de Patagonia y de la Isla Seymour, Anales del Museo Nacional de Buenos Aires 6, 97-167

Wiman C. (1905) Über die Alttertiären vertebraten der Seymourinsel, Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Schwedischen südpolar-expedition 3 1, 1-35

Wiman C. (1905) Vorlaufige Mitteilung uber die alttertiaren Vertebraten der Symourinsel, Bulletin of the Geological Institution of the University of Upsala 6, 247-253

Lambrecht K. (1933) Handbuch der Palaeornithologie, 1-1024

Simpson G. G. (1946) Fossil Penguins, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 87 1, 1-100

Brodkorb P. (1963) Catalogue of fossil birds. Part 1 (Archaeopterygiformes through Ardeiformes), Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences 7 4, 179-293

Simpson G. G. (1971) A review of the pre-Pliocene penguins of New Zealand, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 144 5, 319-378

Simpson G. G. (1971) Review of fossil penguins from Seymour Island, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B. Biological Sciences 178 1053, 357-387

Jenkins R. J. F. (1974) A new giant penguin from the Eocene of Australia, Palaeontology 17 2, 291-310

Simpson G. G. (1979) Tertiary penguins from the Duinefontein site, Cape Province, South Africa, Annals of the South African Museum 79 1, 1-7

Simpson G. .G. (1981) Notes on some fossil penguins, including a new genus from Patagonia, Ameghiniana 18 3-4, 266-272

Olson S. L. (1985) An early Pliocene marine avifauna from Duinefontein, Cape Province, South Africa, Annals of the South African Museum 95 4, 147-164

Baird R. F. (1992) Fossil avian assemblage of Pitfall Origin from Holocene sediments in Amphitheatre Cave (G-2), South-western Victoria, Australia, Records of the Australian Museum 44, 21-44

Cheneval J. (1993) L'avifaune Mio-Pliocene de la Formation Pisco (Perou) etude prliminaire, Document Labratorie Geologique Lyon 125, 85-95

Myrcha A., Jadwiszczak P., et al (2002) Taxonomic revision of Eocene Antarctic penguins based on tarsometatarsal morphology, Polish Polar Research 23 1, 5-46

Clarke J. A., Olivero E. B., et al (2003) Decription of the earliest fossil penguin from South America, and first Paleogene vertebrate locality of Teirra del Fuego, Argentina, American Museum Novitates 3423, 1-18

Stucchi M., Urbina M., et al (2003) Una nueva especie de Spheniscidae del Mioceno Tardio de la Formacion Pisco, Peru, Bulletin de la Institute Frances etudes Andines 32 2, 361-375

Acosta Hospitaleche C., Stucchi M. (2005) Nuevos restos terciarios de Spheniscidae (Aves, sphenisciformes) procedentes de la Costa del Peru, Revista española de paleontología 20 1, 1-5

Tambussi C. P., Reguero M. A., et al (2005) Crossvallia unienwillia, a new Spheniscidae (Sphenisciformes, Aves) from the Late Paleocene of Antarctica, Geobios 38 5, 667-675

Acosta Hospitaleche C., Chavez M., et al (2006) Pingüinos fósiles (Pygoscelis calderensis sp. nov.) en la Formación Bahía Inglesa (Mioceno Medio-Plioceno), Chile, Revista geológica de Chile 33 2, 327-338

Tambussi C. P., Acosta Hospitaleche C. I., et al (2006) Late Eocene penguins from West Antarctica: systematics and biostratigraphy, Geological Society, London Special Publication 258, 145-161

Walsh S. A., Suarez M. E. (2006) New penguin remains from the Pliocene of Northern Chile, Historical Biology 18 2, 115-126

Acosta Hospitaleche C. (2007) Revisión sistemática de Palaeospheniscus biloculata (Simpson) nov. comb. (Aves, Spheniscidae) de la Formación Gaiman (Mioceno Temprano), Chubut, Argentina, Ameghiniana 44 2, 417-426

Acosta Hospitaleche C., Tambussi C., et al (2007) A new Miocene penguin from Patagonia and its phylogenetic relationships, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 52 2, 299-314

Chavez M. (2007) Fossil birds of Chile and Antarctic Peninsula, Arquivos do Museo Nacional, Rio de Janeiro 65 4, 551-572

Livezey B. C., Zusi R. L. (2007) Higher-order phylogeny of modern birds (Theropoda, Aves: Neornithes) based on comparative anatomy. II. Analysis and discussion, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 149 1, 1-95

Acosta Hospitaleche C., Castro L., et al (2008) Palaeospheniscus patagonicus (Aves, Sphenisciformes): New disoveries from the early Miocene of Argentina, Journal of Paleontology 82 3, 565-575

Acosta Hospitaleche C., Tambussi C. (2008) South American fossil penguins: a systematic update, Oryctos 7, 109-127

Acosta Hospitaleche C., Reguero M. (2010) First articulated skeleton of Palaeeudyptes gunnari from the Late Eocene of Isla Marimbo (Seymour Island), Antarctica, Antarctic Science 22 3, 289-298

Jadwiszczak P. (2012) Partial limb skeleton of a “giant penguin” Anthropornis from the Eocene of Antarctic Peninsula, Polish Polar Research 33 3, 259-274

Park T., Fitzgerald E. M. G. (2012) A review of Australian fossil penguins (Aves: Sphenisciformes), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 69, 309-225

Jadwiszczak P., Acosta Hospitaleche C., et al (2013) Redescription of Crossvallia unienwillia: The only Paleocene Antarctic penguin, Ameghiniana 50 6, 545-553

Acosta Hospitaleche C. (2014) New giant penguin bones from Antarctica: Systematic and paleobiological significance, Comptes Rendus Palevol 13, 555-560 doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2014.03.008

Park T. (2014) Redescription of the Miocene penguin Pseudaptenodytes macraei Simpson (Aves: Sphenisciformes) and redefinition of the taxonomic status of Pseudaptenodytes minor Simpson, Alcheringa 38 3, 450-454 doi:10.1080/03115518.2014.906177

del Hoyo J., Collar N. J., et al (2014) HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines, 1-904

Clements J. F., Schulenberg T. S., et al (2017) , The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017

Dickinson, Edward C., ed., 2003: null. The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World, 3rd edition. 1039. - via Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

Gill, Frank, and Minturn Wright, 2006: null. Birds of the World: Recommended English Names. ix + 259. - via Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

Benton, M.J. (ed). (1993). The Fossil Record 2. Chapman & Hall, London, 845 pp. - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera

Parker, S.P. (ed). (1982). Synopsis and Classification of Living Organisms. McGraw-Hill, New York. 2 volumes. - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera

Data courtesy of: PBDB: The Paleobiology Database, Creative Commons CC-BY licenced. , GBIF: the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, various licences, iDigBio, various licences, and EOL: The Encyclopedia of Life (Open Data Public Domain). Because fossils are made of minerals too!

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