Palaeospheniscus bergi

Taxobox
name = "Palaeospheniscus bergi"
status = fossil
fossil_range = Early Miocene
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Sphenisciformes
familia = Spheniscidae
subfamilia = Palaeospheniscinae
genus = "Palaeospheniscus"
species = "P. bergi"
binomial = "Palaeospheniscus bergi"
binomial_authority = Moreno & Mercerat, 1891
synonyms ="see text"

"Palaeospheniscus bergi" is a species of the extinct penguin genus "Palaeospheniscus". It stood about 60-75 cm high in life, or somewhat smaller on average than the extant African Penguin.

Many bones referrable to this species have been recovered from the Early Miocene Patagonian Molasse Formation. Known localities are Trelew in Chubut Province and Puerto San Julián in Santa Cruz Province, Argentina.

The species is named for Carlos Berg, a member of the La Plata Museum of Natural Sciences staff at the time when Moreno worked there.

Some recent researchers have considered "Palaeospheniscus gracilis" a synonym of this species.

Taxonomy

Bones of this species were described as no less than 6 "species" (including the correct one) from 3 "genera" by Florentino Ameghino in a single publication. The synonyms are as follows:
*"Palaeospheniscus bergii" ("lapsus") Ameghino, 1891
*"Paraspheniscus bergi" Ameghino, 1905
*"Palaeospheniscus planus" Ameghino, 1905
*"Palaeospheniscus rothi" Ameghino, 1905
*"Pseudospheniscus interplanus" Ameghino, 1905
*"Pseudospheniscus planus" Ameghino, 1905
*"Pseudospheniscus concavus" Ameghino, 1905
*"Pseudospheniscus convexus" Ameghino, 1905Either "Pseudospheniscus interplanus" or "P. planus", as well as either "Pseudospheniscus concavus" or "P. convexus", are a "lapsus" too.

References

* Amegino, Florentino (1905): Enumeracion de los impennes fósiles de Patagonia y de la Isla Seymour. "An. Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires" 3(6): 97-167, 4 figures, 8 plates.
* Moreno, Francisco "Perito" & 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 (1946): Fossil penguins. "Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist." 87: 7-99. [http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/bitstream/2246/392/1/B087a01.pdf PDF fulltext]
* Simpson, George Gaylord (1971): Conspectus of Patagonian fossil penguins. "American Museum Novitates" 2488: 1-37. [http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/bitstream/2246/2696/1/N2488.pdf PDF fulltext]