NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Atitlan Grebe
Podilymbus gigas Griscom, 1929
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Atitlán grebe (Podilymbus gigas), also known as the giant grebe, giant pied-billed grebe or poc, is an extinct species of grebe that was endemic to Lago de Atitlán in Guatemala. Closely related to the pied-billed grebe, it inhabited the lake at an elevation of 1,700 m (5,600 ft). The species was described in 1929 by Ludlow Griscom from a specimen collected in 1926. American ecologist Anne LaBastille documented its population decline over a period of 25 years. The Atitlán grebe was declared extinct by 1990.
Wikipedia contributors, Atitlán grebe; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:11:51.449609+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Podilymbus gigas Griscom, 1929
- Name authority
- Griscom, 1929
- Common name
- Atitlan Grebe
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Podicipediformes
- Family
- Podicipedidae
- Genus
- Podilymbus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extinct
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPodicipediformes
- familyPodicipedidae Bonaparte, 1831
- genusPodilymbus Lesson, 1831
- speciesPodilymbus gigas Griscom, 1929
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Podilymbus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps (Linnaeus, 1758) | PodicipedidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Griscom, & Ludlow. (1929). Studies from the Dwight Collection of Guatemala Birds. I. American Museum Novitates, No. 379. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4KPPL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.