The
genus Puffinus was introduced by the French zoologist
Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the
Manx shearwater (
Puffinus puffinus) as the
type species. Traditionally,
Puffinus has been grouped with the
Procellaria and
Calonectris shearwaters. However, more recent results The former is taxonomically confusing, with species having been
split and remerged in the last years. referred to the cured carcass of the fat nestling of the shearwater, a former delicacy. The original usage dates from at least 1337, but from as early as 1678 the term gradually came to be used for another, unrelated, seabird, the
Atlantic puffin, an
auk.
Extant species The genus
Puffinus contains the following 21 species:
Phylogeny Phylogeny of the genus based on a study by Joan Ferrer Obiol and collaborators published in 2022. Only 14 of the 21 recognised species were included. }}
Fossil record Several
fossil species which became extinct long ago are also known. The proportion of larger ("Neonectris") species apparently was larger before the
Pliocene, i.e. before
marine mammals diversified: • "Puffinus" group • Menorcan shearwater,
Puffinus sp. (
prehistoric) – possibly extirpated population of extant species; tentatively placed in this group •
Dune shearwater or Hole's shearwater,
Puffinus holeae (
prehistoric) •
Lava shearwater or Olson's shearwater,
Puffinus olsoni (
prehistoric) – tentatively placed in this group •
Bermuda shearwater,
Puffinus parvus (
extinct) – tentatively placed in this group; possibly synonymous with
P. lherminieri •
Scarlett's shearwater,
Puffinus spelaeus (
prehistoric) •
Puffinus tedfordi (Pleistocene of western North America) •
Puffinus nestori (Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene of Ibiza) • "Neonectris" group •
Puffinus sp. 1 (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, US) •
Puffinus sp. 2 (Late Miocene/Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, US) • Unassigned: •
?Puffinus raemdonckii (Early Oligocene of Belgium) – formerly in
Larus •
Puffinus micraulax (Early Miocene of C Florida, US) – probably "Puffinus" group •
Puffinus sp. (Early Miocene of Calvert County, US) ==See also==