Hemiauchenia

Hemiauchenia, is a genus of lamine 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.
Broad features of genus "Hemiauchenia".
The genus name is derived from the (, "half"-) and αὐχήν (, "neck"). Species are specified using Latin adjectives or Latinised names from other languages.
North American fossils.
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. 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.
South American fossils.
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.
Distinguishing characteristics of members of "Hemiauchenia".
Other species.
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.
Classification history.
Prior to 1974, fossil specimens now thought to be "Hemiauchenia" were classified as "Holomeniscus", "Lama", and "Tanupolama", until S. David Webb proposed that these North and South American fossil species were part of a single genus. This has been accepted by all subsequent researchers, although in 2013, Carolina Saldanha Scherer questioned the inclusion of a certain North American species and suggested that "Hemiauchenia" is paraphyletic. 