PBDB Taxon

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Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	External Literature Search	Age range and collections

Phorusrhacos

Reptilia - Gruiformes - Phorusrhacidae

Taxonomy

Phorusrhacos was named by Ameghino (1887). It is the type genus of Phororhacoidea.

It was corrected as Phororhacos by Ameghino (1889), Moreno and Mercerat (1891), Lambrecht (1933) and Wetmore (1960); it was misspelled as Phororhacos by Cracraft (1968), Mourer-Chauviré (1981), Carroll (1988), Alvarenga and Holfing (2003), Gould and Quitmyer (2005), Bertelli et al. (2007), Vizcaíno et al. (2022) and Tambussi et al. (2023).

It was assigned to Phororhacosidae by Ameghino (1889); to Stereornithidae by Moreno and Mercerat (1891); to Phororhacidae by Lambrecht (1933), Wetmore (1960) and Cracraft (1968); to Phorusrhacinae by Mourer-Chauviré (1981), Alvarenga and Holfing (2003), Gould and Quitmyer (2005), Bertelli et al. (2007) and Vizcaíno et al. (2022); and to Phorusrhacidae by Carroll (1988) and Tambussi et al. (2023).

Species

Phororhacos affinis, Phororhacos deautieri, P. longissimus (syn. Stereornis rollieri, Owenornis affinis, Mesembriornis studeri, Phororhacos sehuensis, Darwinornis socialis, Liornis minor, Owenornis lydekkeri, Phororhacos platygnathus, Darwinornis zitteli, Mesembriornis quatrefragesi, Stereornis gaudryi, Titanornis mirabilis, Callornis giganteus, Eucallornis giganteus, Darwinornis copei)

Synonyms

Eucallornis was named by Ameghino (1901).

It was synonymized subjectively with Phorusrhacos by Alvarenga and Holfing (2003).
Titanornis was named by Mercerat (1893).

It was synonymized subjectively with Phororhacos by Ameghino (1894); it was synonymized subjectively with Phorusrhacos by Alvarenga and Holfing (2003).

It was assigned to Stereornithidae by Mercerat (1897); and to Phorusrhacidae by Carroll (1988).
Stereornis was named by Moreno and Mercerat (1891).

It was synonymized subjectively with Phororhacos by Ameghino (1894); it was synonymized subjectively with Phorusrhacos by Alvarenga and Holfing (2003).

It was assigned to Stereornithidae by Moreno and Mercerat (1891).
Darwinornis was named by Moreno and Mercerat (1891).

It was synonymized subjectively with Phororhacos by Ameghino (1894); it was synonymized subjectively with Phorusrhacos by Alvarenga and Holfing (2003).

It was assigned to Darwinornithidae by Moreno and Mercerat (1891) and Mercerat (1897).
Owenornis was named by Moreno and Mercerat (1891).

It was synonymized subjectively with Phororhacos by Ameghino (1894); it was synonymized subjectively with Phorusrhacos by Alvarenga and Holfing (2003).

It was assigned to Darwinornithidae by Moreno and Mercerat (1891) and Mercerat (1897).
Stephanornis was named by Mercerat (1893).

It was synonymized subjectively with Phororhacos by Ameghino (1894).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1887	Phorusrhacos Ameghino
1889	Phororhacos Ameghino p. 659
1891	Stereornis Moreno and Mercerat p. 21 figs. Plate IX, Fig. 3; Plate X, Fig. 1, 2; Plate XI, Fig. 1
1891	Darwinornis Moreno and Mercerat p. 24 figs. Plate XVII, Fig. 1-2
1891	Owenornis Moreno and Mercerat p. 25 figs. Plate XVII, Fig. 6; Plate XVIII, Fig. 1
1891	Phororhacos Moreno and Mercerat p. 44
1891	Stereornis Moreno and Mercerat p. 45
1891	Darwinornis Moreno and Mercerat p. 60
1891	Owenornis Moreno and Mercerat p. 63
1893	Stephanornis Mercerat p. 5
1893	Titanornis Mercerat p. 5
1897	Darwinornis Mercerat p. 229
1897	Owenornis Mercerat p. 229
1897	Titanornis Mercerat p. 229
1901	Eucallornis Ameghino
1933	Phororhacos Lambrecht p. 501
1960	Phororhacos Wetmore p. 27
1968	Phororhacos Cracraft p. 33
1981	Phorusrhacos Mourer-Chauviré p. 643
1988	Phorusrhacos Carroll
1988	Titanornis Carroll
2003	Phorusrhacos Alvarenga and Holfing p. 71
2005	Phorusrhacos Gould and Quitmyer p. 205 figs. Table 2
2007	Phorusrhacos Bertelli et al. p. 415 figs. Table 2
2022	Phorusrhacos Vizcaíno et al.
2023	Phorusrhacos Tambussi et al. p. 277

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
—	Osteichthyes	()
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
—	Sauropsida
class	Reptilia
subclass	Eureptilia	()
—	Romeriida
—	Diapsida	()
—	Archosauromorpha	(Huene 1946)
—	Crocopoda
—	Archosauriformes	Gauthier 1986
—	Eucrocopoda

Rank	Name	Author
—	Archosauria	()
informal	Avemetatarsalia
—	Ornithodira
—	Dinosauromorpha
—	Dinosauriformes
—	Dinosauria	()
—	Theropoda	()
—	Neotheropoda
—	Averostra	Paul 2002
—	Tetanurae
—	Coelurosauria	()
—	Maniraptora
—	Paraves
class	Aves
subclass	Neornithes	Gadow 1893
—	Neognathae	(Pycraft 1900)
—	Neoaves	Sibley et al. 1988
—	Terrestrornithes
—	Telmatorae
superorder	Charadriimorphae	Huxley 1867
order	Gruiformes	Bonaparte 1854
suborder	Cariamae	Fürbringer 1888
family	Phorusrhacidae	()
subfamily	Phorusrhacinae	Ameghino 1899
genus	Phorusrhacos	Ameghino 1887

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

G. †Phorusrhacos Ameghino 1887

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†Phororhacos affinis Ameghino 1899

†Phororhacos deautieri Kraglievich 1931

†Phorusrhacos longissimus Ameghino 1887

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†Phororhacos longissimus mendocinus Kragkievich, 1931

Invalid names: Callornis giganteus Ameghino 1894 [synonym], Darwinornis copei Moreno and Mercerat 1891 [synonym], Darwinornis socialis Moreno and Mercerat 1891 [synonym], Darwinornis zitteli Moreno and Mercerat 1891 [synonym], Eucallornis giganteus Ameghino 1901 [synonym], Liornis minor Dolgopol de Saez 1927 [synonym], Mesembriornis quatrefragesi Moreno and Mercerat 1891 [synonym], Mesembriornis studeri Moreno and Mercerat 1891 [synonym], Owenornis affinis Moreno and Mercerat 1891 [synonym], Owenornis lydekkeri Moreno and Mercerat 1891 [synonym], Phororhacos platygnathus Ameghino 1891 [synonym], Phororhacos sehuensis Ameghino 1891 [synonym], Stereornis gaudryi Moreno and Mercerat 1891 [synonym], Stereornis rollieri Moreno and Mercerat 1891 [synonym], Titanornis mirabilis Mercerat 1893 [synonym]

Invalid names: Darwinornis Moreno and Mercerat 1891 [synonym], Eucallornis Ameghino 1901 [synonym], Owenornis Moreno and Mercerat 1891 [synonym], Stephanornis Mercerat 1893 [synonym], Stereornis Moreno and Mercerat 1891 [synonym], Titanornis Mercerat 1893 [synonym]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

No measurements are available

Composition:

hydroxyapatiteo

Entire body:

yeso

Adult length:

10 to < 100o

Adult width:

1.0 to < 10o

Adult height:

1.0 to < 10o

Architecture:

compact or denseo

Ontogeny:

accretion, modification of partso

Grouping:

solitaryo

Environment:

terrestrialf

Locomotion:

actively mobileo

Life habit:

ground dwellingf

Diet:

carnivoref

Reproduction:

oviparouso

Dispersal:

direct/internalo

Dispersal 2:

mobileo

Created:

2009-01-03 19:06:43

Modified:

2009-01-03 21:06:43

Source: f = family, o = order

References: Witmer and Rose 1991, Marsh 1875

Age range: base of the Early/Lower Miocene to the top of the Santacrucian or 23.03000 to 16.30000 Ma

Collections (13 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Deseadan	29.0 - 21.0	Argentina (Santa Cruz)	Psilopterus affinis (50074)
Early/Lower Miocene	23.03 - 15.97	Argentina (Santa Cruz)	P. longissimus (211270)
Early/Lower Miocene	23.03 - 15.97	Argentina	Stereornis gaudryi, Mesembriornis studeri (66154)
Burdigalian - Langhian	20.44 - 13.82	Argentina (Santa Cruz)	P. longissimus (197691)
Santacrucian	17.5 - 16.3	Argentina (Santa Cruz)	Phororhacos longissimus (176603) P. longissimus (142529 142533 176563 176565 176566 176571 176594) Stereornis rollieri, Phororhacos longissimus, Darwinornis copei, Owenornis lydekkeri, Darwinornis zitteli, Darwinornis socialis, Owenornis affinis, Mesembriornis quatrefragesi (27313)