PBDB Taxon

Basic info	Taxonomic history	Classification	Included Taxa
Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	External Literature Search	Age range and collections

Spheniscus megaramphus

Reptilia - Theropoda - Spheniscidae

Taxonomy

Spheniscus megaramphus was named by Stucchi et al. (2003). Its type specimen is MUSM 175, a partial skull, and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Sud Sacaco, Montemar, which is in a Messinian paralic siltstone in the Pisco Formation of Peru.

Sister species lacking formal opinion data

S. predmersus

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
2003	Spheniscus megaramphus Stucchi et al. p. 363 figs. Figs. 2-8
2008	Spheniscus megaramphus Acosta Hospitaleche and Tambussi p. 121
2008	Spheniscus megaramphus Soto-Acuña et al. p. 123

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
—	Osteichthyes	()
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
—	Sauropsida
class	Reptilia
subclass	Eureptilia	()
—	Romeriida
—	Diapsida	()
—	Archosauromorpha	(Huene 1946)
—	Crocopoda

Rank	Name	Author
—	Archosauriformes	Gauthier 1986
—	Eucrocopoda
—	Archosauria	()
informal	Avemetatarsalia
—	Ornithodira
—	Dinosauromorpha
—	Dinosauriformes
—	Dinosauria	()
order	Theropoda
—	Neotheropoda
—	Averostra	Paul 2002
—	Tetanurae
—	Coelurosauria	()
—	Maniraptora
—	Paraves
class	Aves
subclass	Neornithes	Gadow 1893
—	Aequornithes
—	Feraequornithes
superorder	Procellariimorphae
—	Sphenisciformes	(Sharpe 1891)
family	Spheniscidae	Bonaparte 1831
genus	Spheniscus	Brisson 1760
species	megaramphus

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

†Spheniscus megaramphus Stucchi et al. 2003

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Diagnosis

Reference	Diagnosis
C. Acosta Hospitaleche and C. Tambussi 2008	30 % larger than the living species. Ros- trum 60 % longer than in the modern species of Spheniscus and proportionally narrower. Straight mandible with a short fossa articularis quadratica that is more robust than in the living species of the genus (Stucchi et al., 2003).

Measurements

No measurements are available

Composition:

hydroxyapatiteo

Entire body:

yeso

Adult length:

10 to < 100o

Adult width:

1.0 to < 10o

Adult height:

1.0 to < 10o

Architecture:

compact or denseo

Ontogeny:

accretion, modification of partso

Grouping:

solitaryo

Environment:

marineo

Locomotion:

actively mobileo

Life habit:

ground dwellingo

Diet:

carnivoresubo

Reproduction:

oviparouso

Dispersal:

direct/internalo

Dispersal 2:

mobileo

Created:

2017-04-17 10:40:01

Modified:

2017-04-17 10:40:01

Source: subo = suborder, o = order

References: Benton 1983, Bush and Bambach 2015, Marsh 1875

Age range: Messinian or 7.24600 to 5.33300 Ma

Collections (2 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Late/Upper Miocene	11.608 - 5.333	Chile	Spheniscus megaramphus (100171)
Messinian	7.246 - 5.333	Peru (Caraveli)	Spheniscus megaramphus (type locality: 46084)