Gymnogyps Lesson 1842
Creators: name: Suárez, William
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Aves
Accipitriformes
Cathartidae
Gymnogyps

description: Genus Gymnogyps Lesson
† Gymnogyps varonai (Arredondo, 1971)
Cuban Condor; Condor Cubano
(Figure 7: A–J)
Antillovultur varonai Arredondo, 1971, Mem. Soc. Cien. Nat. La Salle, vol. 31, no. 90, p 310. Referred material. San Felipe I: Right coracoid, MNHNCu 75.4596; left humerus without proximal end, MNHN- Cu 75.4821; distal half of right tibiotarsus, MNHNCu 75.4823; right tarsometatarsus without distal end, MNHNCu 75.4822; distal end of left tarsometatarsus, MNHNCu 75.4598; left cuneiform, MNHNCu 75.4664. San Felipe II: Upper mandible (premaxillary-maxillary-maxillopalatine), MNHNCu 75.4613; premaxillary fragments, MNHNCu 75.4594-4595; distal end of left radius, MNHNCu 75.4776; proximal right carpometacarpus, MNHNCu 75.4597.
Description. It differs (see descriptions and figures of this material in Suárez 2000 a, Suárez & Emslie 2003) from other species of the genus by having a skull with strong and massive bill, robust occipital and opisthotic processes, large occipital condyle, a more rostral placement of nuchal crest, and a high cranial vault. These osteological modifications indicate a more developed, or powerful, cervical musculature than in continental species. Postcranial elements (Fig. 7 A–J) are slightly larger, but similar in characters to the living species Gymnogyps californianus (Shaw, 1797).
Measurements. Coracoids.—total length: 98.9; least width at midpoint: 17.0; depth at midpoint of glenoid facet: 21.8. Humerus.—width and depth of shaft at midpoint: 19.0–15.4; distal width: 45.7. Carpometacarpus.— proximal width of metacarpal II: 12.0. Tibiotarsus.—width and depth of shaft: 14.4–11.1; distal width: 25.5; depth of external condyle: 22.8; depth of internal condyle: 23.4. Tarsometatarsus.—Proximal width: 28.1; depth of medial cotyla: 13.7; depth of lateral cotyla: 11.7; least width and depth of shaft: 14.7–8.5; distal width: 33.1; width of trochlea metatarsi III: 11.6.
Comments. This taxon is well known from multiple deposits in Cuba, and the first bird species identified in Las Breas de San Felipe (Suárez 2000a). The Cuban Condor was described as an endemic, monotypic genus and species, Antillovultur varonai Arredondo, 1971, on the basis of few fragmentary bones from Quaternary deposits at Cueva de Paredones, La Habana (now Artemisa) Province (Arredondo 1971). The species was subsequently referred to Gymnogyps (see Suárez 2000a) and redescribed (Suárez & Emslie 2003). Gymnogyps varonai was the largest vulturid in the Cuban archipelago during the Quaternary, where remains are very common in fossil localities (Suárez 2000a, 2001). This condor evolved in Cuba from a population of G. californianus or G. kofordi Emslie, 1998, from Florida and its presence in Cuba demonstrates the ability of condors to disperse over water (Tambussi & Noriega 1999).
description: Published as part of Suárez, William, 2020, The fossil avifauna of the tar seeps Las Breas de San Felipe, Matanzas, Cuba, pp. 1-53 in Zootaxa 4780 (1) on pages 14-16, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4780.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3856493