PBDB Taxon

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Palaeospheniscus bergi

Reptilia

Taxonomy

Palaeospheniscus bergi was named by Moreno and Mercerat (1891). Its type specimen is Museo de La Plata, a set of limb elements (humerus, radius, tarsometatarsus), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Cerro del Castillo, Trelew, which is in an Aquitanian/Burdigalian shallow subtidal sandstone in the Gaiman Formation of Argentina.

It was recombined as Paraspheniscus bergi by Ameghino (1905), Lambrecht (1933), Simpson (1946), Brodkorb (1963).

Synonyms

Palaeospheniscus medianus was named by Ameghino (1905). It is a 3D body fossil.

It was synonymized subjectively with Palaeospheniscus gracilis by Brodkorb (1963), Simpson (1972).
Palaeospheniscus rothi was named by Ameghino (1905). It is a 3D body fossil.

It was synonymized subjectively with Palaeospheniscus bergi by Simpson (1972).
Palaeospheniscus planus was named by Ameghino (1905). It is a 3D body fossil.

It was synonymized subjectively with Palaeospheniscus bergi by Simpson (1972).
Palaeospheniscus nereius was named by Ameghino (1901).

It was recombined as Paraspheniscus nereius by Ameghino (1905), Lambrecht (1933), Simpson (1946), Brodkorb (1963); it was synonymized subjectively with Palaeospheniscus gracilis by Simpson (1972).
Pseudospheniscus interplanus was named by Ameghino (1905). It is not a trace fossil.

It was synonymized subjectively with Palaeospheniscus bergi by Simpson (1972).
Pseudospheniscus convexus was named by Ameghino (1905). It is a 3D body fossil.

It was synonymized subjectively with Pseudospheniscus concavus by Brodkorb (1963); it was synonymized subjectively with Palaeospheniscus bergi by Simpson (1972).
Pseudospheniscus planus was named by Ameghino (1905). It is a 3D body fossil.

It was synonymized subjectively with Pseudospheniscus interplanus by Brodkorb (1963).
Neculus rothi was named by Ameghino (1905).

It was considered a nomen dubium by Simpson (1972); it was synonymized subjectively with Palaeospheniscus gracilis by Tonni (1980).
Palaeospheniscus gracilis was named by Ameghino (1899). It is a 3D body fossil.

It was synonymized subjectively with Palaeospheniscus bergi by Acosta Hospitaleche and Tambussi (2008).
Pseudospheniscus concavus was named by Ameghino (1905). It is not extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Palaeospheniscus bergi by Simpson (1972).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1891	Palaeospheniscus bergi Ameghino p. 447
1891	Palaeospheniscus bergi Moreno and Mercerat
1899	Palaeospheniscus gracilis Ameghino
1901	Palaeospheniscus nereius Ameghino p. 81
1905	Neculus rothi Ameghino
1905	Pseudospheniscus convexus Ameghino
1905	Palaeospheniscus medianus Ameghino p. 108
1905	Palaeospheniscus planus Ameghino p. 109 figs. Plate 1, Fig. 7a
1905	Palaeospheniscus rothi Ameghino p. 110 figs. Plate 2, Fig. 8a
1905	Palaeospheniscus gracilis Ameghino p. 111
1905	Paraspheniscus bergi Ameghino p. 115
1905	Paraspheniscus nereius Ameghino p. 116
1905	Pseudospheniscus interplanus Ameghino p. 123
1905	Pseudospheniscus concavus Ameghino p. 124 figs. Plate 3, Fig. 20
1905	Neculus rothi Ameghino p. 127
1905	Pseudospheniscus convexus Ameghino p. 164 figs. Plate III, Fig. 20
1905	Pseudospheniscus planus Ameghino p. 164 figs. Plate III, Fig. 19
1933	Palaeospheniscus medianus Lambrecht p. 227
1933	Palaeospheniscus planus Lambrecht p. 227
1933	Palaeospheniscus rothi Lambrecht p. 227
1933	Palaeospheniscus gracilis Lambrecht p. 228
1933	Paraspheniscus bergi Lambrecht p. 228
1933	Paraspheniscus nereius Lambrecht p. 229
1933	Pseudospheniscus concavus Lambrecht p. 230
1933	Pseudospheniscus interplanus Lambrecht p. 230
1933	Neculus rothi Lambrecht p. 231
1946	Palaeospheniscus gracilis Simpson p. 24
1946	Neculus rothi Simpson p. 26
1946	Palaeospheniscus medianus Simpson p. 26
1946	Palaeospheniscus planus Simpson p. 26
1946	Palaeospheniscus rothi Simpson p. 26
1946	Paraspheniscus nereius Simpson p. 29
1946	Paraspheniscus bergi Simpson p. 30
1946	Pseudospheniscus concavus Simpson p. 30
1963	Palaeospheniscus gracilis Brodkorb p. 236
1963	Palaeospheniscus rothi Brodkorb p. 237
1963	Paraspheniscus bergi Brodkorb p. 238
1963	Paraspheniscus nereius Brodkorb p. 238
1963	Neculus rothi Brodkorb p. 240
1963	Pseudospheniscus concavus Brodkorb p. 240
1963	Pseudospheniscus interplanus Brodkorb p. 240
1972	Palaeospheniscus bergi Simpson p. 7
1972	Palaeospheniscus gracilis Simpson p. 7
2007	Palaeospheniscus bergi Acosta Hospitaleche
2008	Palaeospheniscus bergi Acosta Hospitaleche and Tambussi p. 115
2023	Palaeospheniscus bergi Tambussi et al. p. 273

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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	()
—	Theropoda	()
—	Neotheropoda
—	Averostra	Paul 2002
—	Tetanurae
—	Coelurosauria	()
—	Maniraptora
—	Paraves
class	Aves
subclass	Neornithes	Gadow 1893
—	Aequornithes
—	Feraequornithes
superorder	Procellariimorphae
—	Sphenisciformes	(Sharpe 1891)
subfamily	Palaeospheniscinae
genus	Palaeospheniscus
species	bergi

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.

†Palaeospheniscus bergi Moreno and Mercerat 1891

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Invalid names: Palaeospheniscus concavus Ameghino 1905 [synonym], Palaeospheniscus gracilis Ameghino 1899 [synonym], Palaeospheniscus interplanus Ameghino 1905 [synonym], Palaeospheniscus planus Ameghino 1905 [synonym], Palaeospheniscus rothi Ameghino 1905 [synonym], Pseudospheniscus convexus Ameghino 1905 [synonym]

Diagnosis

Reference	Diagnosis
C. Acosta Hospitaleche and C. Tambussi 2008	Tarsometatarsus. Slender, in accordance with the smaller size of the genus, total length between 28 and 36 mm and an elongation index between 2.06 and 2.16.