Phylogenetic Characters in the Humerus and Tarsometatarsus of Penguins

Abstract

AbstractThe present review aims to improve the scope and coverage of the phylogenetic matrices currently in use, as well as explore some aspects of the relationships among Paleogene penguins, using two key skeletal elements, the humerus and tarsometatarsus. These bones are extremely important for phylogenetic analyses based on fossils because they are commonly found solid specimens, often selected as holo- and paratypes of fossil taxa. The resulting dataset includes 25 new characters, making a total of 75 characters, along with eight previously uncoded taxa for a total of 48. The incorporation and analysis of this corrected subset of morphological characters raise some interesting questions considering the relationships among Paleogene penguins, particularly regarding the possible exis-tence of two separate clades includingPalaeeudyptesandParaptenodytes,the monophyly ofPlatydyptesandParaptenodytes,and the positionofAnthropornis.Additionally,Noto-dyptes wimaniis here recovered in the same collapsed node asArchaeospheniscusand not withinDelphinornis,as in former analyses.