Podiceps

The genus Podiceps was erected by the English naturalist John Latham in 1787. The type species was subsequently designated as the great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus). The genus name combines variants on the Latin , roughly meaning "rear-end", and '''', meaning "foot". The black-necked, Colombian, silvery, and Junin grebes are very closely related and were formerly sometimes separated as the genus Dyas. The great grebe has also sometimes been separated as the sole member of the genus Podicephorus; there is also genetic evidence that it is more closely related to the Aechmophorus grebes than it is to the rest of the genus Podiceps. The genus contains nine species: }} }} }} }} }} }} The chicks of all Podiceps grebes (including P. major, but not those of the related genus Aechmophorus) have boldly striped heads, with alternating black and white stripes; they are often colloquially called "humbugs" from their resemblance to humbug sweets. They lose these markings as they mature during their first winter. Fossils One of the very oldest fossil grebes known to date actually belongs to this genus. Regarding grebes, the fossil record leaves much to be desired, being quite complete for the last 5 million years before present but very incomplete before the Pliocene. Fossil species of Podiceps are: • †Podiceps arndti Chandler, 1990 (Piacenzian stage of North America) • †Podiceps csarnotanus Kessler, 2009 (Piacenzian stage of Europe) • †Podiceps discors Murray, 1967 (Piacenzian stage of North America) • †Podiceps dixi Brodkorp, 1963 (Chibanian to the Tarantian stages of Florida, United States) • †Podiceps howardae Storer, 2001 (Zanclean age of North Carolina, United States) • †Podiceps miocenicus Kessler, 1984 (Tortonian age of Moldova) • †Podiceps oligoceanus (Shufeldt, 1915) (Aquitanian age of North America) • †Podiceps parvus (Shufeldt, 1913) (Gelasian to the Calabrian stages of North America) • †Podiceps pisanus (Shufeldt, 1913) (Piacenzian stage of Italy) • †Podiceps solidus Kuročkin, 1985 (Zanclean age of Western Mongolia) • †Podiceps subparvus (Miller & Bowman, 1958) • Podiceps? sp. (Late Pliocene of WC USA) • Podiceps sp. (Early Pleistocene of Dursunlu, Turkey) Among the material assigned to P. parvus were bones of another species, which may or may not belong in this genus. == References ==