Tag Archives: Rallus nanus

Rallus nanus Alcover, Pieper, Pereira & Rando

Sao Jorge Rail (Rallus nanus)

 

The Sao Jorge Rail was described in 2015 based on subfossil bones that had been recovered from the deposits of the Gruta do Pasto do Engenheiro on the island of São Jorge, one of the Azores Islands, Portugal.

The species was smaller than any other member of its genus, it was completely flightless and had a somewhat enlarged beak, compared to its body size, which was also somewhat curved downward. [1]

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The scientific name under which the species was described, Rallus minutus Alcover, Pieper, Pereira & Rando, was later found to be preoccopied, making it a primary homonym, so the species was re-named in 2016. [2]

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References:

[1] Josep Antoni Alcover; Harald Pieper; Fernando Pereira; Juan Carlos Rando: Five new extinct species of rails (Aves: Gruiformes: Rallidae) from the Macaronesian Islands (North Atlantic Ocean). Zootaxa 4057(2): 151-190. 2015
[2] Josep Antoni Alcover; Harald Pieper; Fernando Pereira; Juan Carlos Rando: Rallus nanus nomen novum: a replacement name for Rallus minutus Alcover et al. 2015. Zootaxa 4085(1): 141-142. 2016

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edited: 10.09.2019