Parent taxon: Gaviomorphae according to B. C. Livezey and R. L. Zusi 2007
See also Carroll 1988, del Hoyo et al. 2014, Guthrie 1992, Howard 1972, Louchart et al. 2008, Parmalee 1992 and Sangster 2005
Sister taxa: none
Subtaxa: Podicipedidae
Ecology: ground dwelling carnivore
Distribution:
• Quaternary of Argentina (1 collection), Azerbaijan (1), Bolivia (1), Chile (1), East Timor (1), Finland (3), Italy (1), Japan (3), Jordan (1), Mexico (5), New Zealand (3), Peru (1), Puerto Rico (1), the Russian Federation (3), Spain (1), United States (72: Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wyoming)
• Blancan of United States (13: California, Florida)
• Pliocene to Pleistocene of Italy (1)
• Pliocene of Italy (1), United States (5: California, Florida, Idaho, North Carolina)
• Hemphillian of United States (1: Kansas)
• Miocene of Ethiopia (1), Spain (1), United States (4: California, Florida)
• Oligocene of Australia (1)
Total: 127 collections including 186 occurrences