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Yarquen
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] Discovery and namingThe 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] DescriptionYarquen 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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