Pygoscelis
| Brush-tailed penguins Temporal range: Eocene to present
| |
|---|---|
| File:Manchot 01.jpg | |
| Pygoscelis antarctica | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Sphenisciformes |
| Family: | Spheniscidae |
| Genus: | Pygoscelis Wagler, 1832 |
| Type species | |
| Aptenodytes antarctica[1] | |
| Species | |
|
Pygoscelis adeliae | |
The genus Pygoscelis ("rump-legged") contains three living species of penguins collectively known as "brush-tailed penguins".[2]
Taxonomy
[edit | edit source]Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA evidence suggests the genus split from other penguins around 38 million years ago, about 2 million years after the ancestors of the genus Aptenodytes. In turn, the Adelie penguins split off from the other members of the genus around 19 million years ago.[3]
- Extant species
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adélie penguin | Pygoscelis adeliae (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841) |
Antarctica, Bouvet Island Map of range |
Size: 70–73 cm (28–29 in) in length and a weight of 3.8 to 8.2 kg (8.4 to 18.1 lb).[4][5] Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Chinstrap penguin | Pygoscelis antarcticus (Forster, 1781) |
Antarctica, Argentina, Bouvet Island, Chile, the Falkland Islands, the French Southern Territories, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Map of range |
Size: 68–76 cm (27–30 in) in length and a weight of 3.2–5.3 kg (7.1–11.7 lb) Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Gentoo penguin | Pygoscelis papua (Forster, 1781) |
Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and Kerguelen Islands Map of range |
Size: length of 70 to 90 cm (28 to 35 in), with weight of 4.5–8.5 kg (9.9–18.7 lb)[6] Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
A 2020 study found that the gentoo penguin may actually comprise a species complex of 4 similar but genetically distinct species: the northern gentoo penguin (P. papua), the southern gentoo penguin (P. ellsworthi), the eastern gentoo penguin (P. taeniata), and the newly-described South Georgia gentoo penguin (P. poncetii).[7][8] However, in 2021 the International Ornithological Congress recognized these as being subspecies of P. papua.[9]
A study has estimated that there are about 3.79 million pairs of Adélie, 387,000 pairs of gentoo, and 8 million pairs of chinstrap penguins in their particular areas,[10] making up 90% of Antarctic avian biomass.[11]
- Fossil species
- Pygoscelis grandis (Bahía Inglesa Formation, Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Bahía Inglesa, Chile)
- Pygoscelis calderensis (Bahía Inglesa Formation, Late Miocene of Bahía Inglesa, Chile)
- Pygoscelis tyreei (Pliocene of New Zealand)
The latter two are tentatively assigned to this genus.
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Commentationes Societatis Regiae Scientiarum Gottingensis 3 (1780): 134, 141, pl.4.
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- ^ De Roy, Jones & Cornthwaite 2014, p. 204.
- ^ Shirihai 2002, p. 64.
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