Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Euavialae
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Ordo: Gruiformes
Familia: Rallidae
Genus: Dryolimnas
Species Dryolimnas cuvieri
Name
Dryolimnas Sharpe, 1893
References
Sharpe 1893. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 1 p.27,28
The genus Dryolimnas comprises birds in the rail family. The Réunion rail, a member of this genus, became extinct in the 17th century. The white-throated rail of Aldabra is the last surviving flightless bird in the western Indian Ocean.[1] They are mostly found on Malabar Island, but can also be found on Polymnieli Island and other islands.
Though much larger, the skeletons of these rails show similarities to the rails of the genus Lewinia. Therefore, the two genera were lumped at times. This has been supported by DNA evidence, which finds strong support for a clade containing Crex, Lewinina, Dryolimnas, and the Snoring rail.[2]
Species
White-throated rail or Cuvier's rail, Dryolimnas cuvieri
Aldabra white-throated rail, Dryolimnas cuvieri aldabranus
Assumption white-throated rail, Dryolimnas cuvieri abbotti - extinct (early 20th century)
Réunion rail, Dryolimnas augusti - extinct (late 17th century)
Cheke's wood rail, Dryolimnas chekei - extinct (mid 17th century)[note 1]
Notes
Previously mentioned as an undescribed extinct taxon and provisionally named Sauzier′s wood-rail or Dryolimnas sp., until it was described as new species in 2019.[3] It is known from Mauritius and was originally thought to be an isolated population of D. cuvieri cuvieri, which is a rare vagrant to Mauritius, until analysis of the fossils found it to be a distinct flightless taxon that is likely descended from D. cuvieri. This species may be the "small rail" referred to in the accounts of Dutch explorers, in contrast to the "large rail" which may be the red rail.[4]
References
The White-Throated Rail Dryolimnas cuvieri on Aldabra
Garcia-R., Juan C.; Gibb, Gillian C.; Trewick, Steve A. (December 2014). "Deep global evolutionary radiation in birds: Diversification and trait evolution in the cosmopolitan bird family Rallidae". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 81: 96–108. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2014.09.008.
Julian Pender Hume (2019). "Systematics, morphology and ecology of rails (Aves: Rallidae) of the Mascarene Islands, with one new species". Zootaxa. 4626 (1): 1–107. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4626.1.1.
Hume, Julian P. (2017). Extinct Birds. 115: Bloomsbury Natural History. ISBN 9781472937445.
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