Thegornis Temporal range:
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Falconiformes |
Family: | Falconidae |
Subfamily: | Herpetotherinae |
Genus: | †Thegornis Ameghino, 1895 |
Type species | |
†Thegornis musculosus Ameghino, 1895
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Other species | |
Synonyms | |
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Thegornis is an extinct genus of herpetotherine falconid that lived during the Miocene of South America. The genus was erected by Florentino Ameghino in 1895 based on two species, T. musculosus and T. debilis. However, T. debilis was later suggested to be an invalid species, with the differences between it and T. musculosus being due to sexual dimorphism. Two additional species, T. spivacowi and T. sosae, were subsequently named in later years by Federico Agnolín.[1][2] Its skull and postcranial morphology are similar to the laughing falcon and forest falcon, which together form the clade Herpetotherinae.[3] The seriema Noriegavis's holotype was transferred to this genus and the well-preserved specimen described in 2015 attributed to Noriegavis has been classified into Miocariama.