Spheniscus Moehring, 1758

Göhlich, Ursula B., 2007, The oldest fossil record of the extant penguin genus Spheniscus-a new species from the Miocene of Peru, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 52 (2), pp. 285-298 : 286

Genus Spheniscus Moehring, 1758

Type species: Spheniscus demersus ( Linnaeus, 1758) .

Remarks.—Based on the following osteological features the postcranial penguin material of Cerro la Bruja, presented here, can be affiliated to Spheniscus on generic level.

Humerus with humeral head barely swollen proximally (more swollen in Aptenodytes , Pygoscelis , and Eudyptes ), proximal outline of humerus without proximal notch between dorsal tubercle and the head (notched in Aptenodytes , Pygoscelis , and Eudyptes , slightly notched in Palaeospheniscus ); bipartite pneumotricipital fossa with a deep cranial fossa (non−bipartite in Paraptenodytes and Arthrodytes ); proximal border of pneumotricipital fossa in ventral view straight and almost horizontally (proximally concave in Aptenodytes and Eudyptes ); caudal−most process of the ventral epicondyle hardly surpassing ventral margin of distal humerus shaft (in cranial/caudal view; clearly surpassing in Aptenodytes and Pygoscelis ). Coracoid with probably closed supracoracoid foramen (open in Pygoscelis , Eudyptula , and Aptenodytes and probably in Palaeospheniscus ). Femoral head and trochanter proximally at same level (trochanter higher in Eudyptes , Pygoscelis , and Aptenodytes ). Tarsometatarsus quite elongate, with an elongation index (maximal length/proximal width) of 2.07, thus smaller than in Palaeospheniscus (elongation index: 2.2–2.4); extensor sulci long and deep (shallower in Eudyptes , Pygoscelis , and Aptenodytes ); trochlea II and trochlea IV of about same length distally (unlike in Palaeospheniscus , Eudyptes , Pygoscelis , and Aptenodytes , where trochlea IV is somewhat shorter than trochlea II); the position and arrangement of the two proximal vascular foramina and of the very pronounced impressions of the extensor retinaculum corresponds best with Spheniscus ; lateral intertrochlear incision deeper incised proximally than medial one.