Dieffenbach's rail
Extinct species of bird
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dieffenbach's rail (Gallirallus dieffenbachii), known in the Moriori language as meriki or mehoriki, is an extinct flightless bird in the rail family. It was endemic to the Chatham Islands. The species was formerly placed in the genus Hypotaenidia.
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| Dieffenbach's rail | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Rallidae |
| Genus: | Gallirallus |
| Species: | †G. dieffenbachii |
| Binomial name | |
| †Gallirallus dieffenbachii (Gray, 1843) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Extinction
The type specimen specimen of Dieffenbach's rail was captured in 1840[3] by Ernst Dieffenbach, who is commemorated in the scientific and common name of the species.[citation needed] It became extinct due to hunting and introduced predators, as well as habitat loss by 1872.[3]
Taxonomy
The Dieffenbach's rail was sympatric with the flightless Chatham rail (Cabalus modestus). Their sympatry suggests parallel evolution after separate colonisation of the Chatham Islands by a common volant ancestor, presumably the buff-banded rail (Hypotaenidia philippensis).[4] A 2014 genetic analysis found that the taxa were not particularly closely related, with Dieffenbach's rail being sister to the group of Hypotaenidia including the buff-banded rail, while the Chatham rail was found to be in a more basal position.[5] It is still considered to be in the genus Gallirallus by some experts.
Gallery
- Various views of the skull of Dieffenbach's rail
Lateral view
Dorsal view
Ventral view
Oblique view
See also
- Hawkins's rail, another extinct flightless rail endemic to the Chatham Islands.
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