Yarquen is an extinct genus of owls which lived in what is now Argentina in the middle Miocene. It contains a single species, Yarquen dolgopolae. It is the oldest owl to have been formally described from South America.[1]

Yarquen
Temporal range: Mid Miocene (Langhian)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Yarquen
Tambussi, Degrange & Ruiz, 2023
Species:
Y. dolgopolae
Binomial name
Yarquen dolgopolae
Tambussi, Degrange & Ruiz, 2023

Discovery and naming

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The known remains of Yarquen were discovered in the Collón Curá Formation of Río Negro Province, Argentina. The holotype, MLP 92-V-10-86, includes phalanges and the distal end of the right humerus.[1]

The generic name is derived from the Araucanian word for 'owl', which is masculine in gender. The specific name honors Mathilde Dolgopol de Sáez, the first female paleontologist from Argentina.[1]

Description

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Yarquen was a large owl, its humerus being comparable in size to that of the extant short-eared owl, which it thought to be about the size of. The ungual phalanx of digit 1 has lateral grooves on both sides and is strongly curved. Like other strigid owls, it was presumably a nocturnal or crepuscular predator.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Tambussi, Claudia P.; Degrange, Federico J.; González Ruiz, Laureano (2023-03-06). "An extinct owl (aves: strigidae) from the middle miocene of Patagonia". Historical Biology. 36 (3): 644–649. doi:10.1080/08912963.2023.2180738. ISSN 0891-2963. S2CID 257392373.