1988/06/22 by Steven D. Emslie · 3 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Ichthyology and Marine Biology #Fish biology, ecology, and behavior #Postcrania #Ancestor #Genus #Monophyly #Zoology #Geography #Pleistocene #Phylogenetic tree #Archaeology #Paleontology #Biology #Taxon #Clade
paper · doi:10.1080/02724634.1988.10011699
openalex publication_date 1988/06/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
The fossil record of condors (Ciconiiformes: Vulturidae) in the New World is reviewed with a description of a new species of Gymnogyps from the early Pleistocene (Irvingtonian) of Florida. This new species shared a common ancestor with the California condor, G. californianus, and provides new information on the origin and evolution of condors in North America. A phylogenetic analysis of 39 cranial and postcranial characters indicates that the condors form a monophyletic assemblage with Gymnogyps as a distinct North American genus, and Vultur as a distinct South American genus. Condors probably originated in North America and may have reached South America in the mid Pliocene (Montehermosan) near the beginning of the Great American Interchange.