User:Ankylosaur Enthusiast/sandbox4
Pengana Temporal range:
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Accipitriformes |
Family: | Accipitridae |
Genus: | †Pengana |
Species: | †P. robertbolesi
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Binomial name | |
†Pengana robertbolesi Boles, 1993
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History and naming
In 1993, ornithologist Walter E. Boles described material belonging to an accipitrid that was collected from the late Oligocene (to early Miocene) aged Sticky Beak Site in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, Queensland, Australia. This material was referred to a new genus and species, Pengana roberbolesi. The holotype, and only known specimen, (QMF16865) is a distal portion of the left tibiotarsus that is housed at the Queensland Museum.
The holotype of Pengana (QMF16865) was collected from the late Oligocene 'Sticky Beak site' at the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, Queensland. The specimen consists of a distal portion of the left tibiotarsus and is housed at the Queensland Museum. A second specimen was tentatively assigned to the genus from the similarly aged White Hunter site and is a femoral fragment.
The genus name is derived from a First Nation Australian word (no language was specified) for ‘hawk’, while the species name is in honour of the author's late father, Richard Boles.
In 1993, ornithologist and palaeontologist Walter E. Boles described Pengana roberbolesi as a new genus and species of acciptirid based on these fossil remains. The genus name is stated to have been derived from an Aboriginal word for hawk, although no language in particular was specified. The species name honours Richard Boles, the late father of Walter E. Boles.
Description
Pengana is said to have been twice the size of the harrier and crnae hawks, and larger than any living Australian acciptirid, with the exception of wedge tailed eagle and white breasted sea eagle.
The tibiotarsus has a distal width of 16.4 mm, with an external condyle depth of 13.i mm and an internal condyle depth of 13.2 mm. It has an overall flat and rectangular appearance. It differs from most acciptirids by having a combination of a horizontal supratendinal bridge, mediolaterally (middle and sides) flattened distal condyles, parallel sides to distal end of shaft, and anterioposteriorly compressed shaft. Is similar to Geranospiza and Polyboroides but differs by its greater size, proportional width of supratendinal canal, orientation of supratendinal canal, more medially placed distal opening to the supratendinal canal, and proportionally wider anterior intercondylar fossa.