Sobre la presencia de Paraptenodytes y Palaeospheniscus (Aves: Sphenisciformes) en la Formación Bahía Inglesa, Chile

Abstract

The present comment was motivated by the article by Acosta-Hospitaleche & Canto (2005), and from the direct observation of some specimens of Sphenicidae previously reported for the Bahia Inglesa Formation, in the Atacama region, Chile. The lack of morphological characters that they allow the differentiation with the genus Spheniscus and of associate diagnostic remains discard the assignment of cranial materials to Palaeospheniscus. Equally it is not possible to corroborate the assignment of specimens to Paraptenodytes, being suggested the use of Spheniscidae indet. aff. Paraptenodytes for an isolated tarsometatarsus. It is also suggested the use of Spheniscus spp. for the specimens previously referred to S. cf. chilensis and S. aff. humboldti. This way, the number of penguins registered in the formation decreases from nine to seven. © 2007 Sociedad de Biología de Chile.