Palaeospheniscus bergi

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, 1905

Either 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. PDF fulltext
• Simpson, George Gaylord (1971): Conspectus of Patagonian fossil penguins. American Museum Novitates 2488: 1-37. PDF fulltext