Hemiauchenia
H. macrocephala (Cope, 1893)
H. minima (Leidy, 1886)
H. blancoensis (Meade,1945)
H. vera (Matthew, 1909)
H. paradoxa (Gervais & Ameghino, 1880)
H. seymourensis
H. edensis
H. guanajuatensis
Hemiauchenia[1] is a genus of laminoid camelids that evolved in North America in the Miocene period about 10 million years ago. This genus diversified and moved to South America in the Early Pleistocene, as part of the Great American Biotic Interchange, giving rise to modern lamines. The genus became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene.
The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek: ἡμι- (hēmi-, "half"-)[2] and αὐχήν (auchēn, "neck").[3][nb 1] Species are specified using Latin adjectives or Latinised names from other languages.
Remains of these species have been found in assorted locations around North America, including Florida, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Arizona, Mexico, California, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Oregon, Colorado, and Washington.[5][6] The "large-headed llama", H. macrocephala, was widely distributed in North and Central America, with H. vera being known from the western United States and northern Mexico. H. minima has been found in Florida, and H. guanajuatensis in Mexico.[7]
Fossils of Hemiauchenia in South America are restricted to the Pleistocene and have been found in the Luján and Agua Blanca Formations of Buenos Aires Province and Córdoba Province, Argentina, the Tarija Formation of Bolivia, Pilauco of Osorno, Los Lagos, Chile and Paraíba, Ceará, and the Touro Passo Formation of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.[8]
Also, a few lesser known species, such as H. paradoxa, H. seymourensis, H. edensis and H. guanajuatensis, have been found. According to which source is consulted, these may or may not be considered legitimate taxa.[citation needed]
