Taxonomy (Dec 2021)

An Extinct New Rail (<i>Gallirallus</i>, Aves: Rallidae) Species from Rapa Island, French Polynesia

  • Rodrigo B. Salvador,
  • Atholl Anderson,
  • Alan J. D. Tennyson

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/taxonomy1040032
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 1, no. 4
pp. 448 – 457

Abstract

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A new species of rail, Gallirallus astolfoi sp. nov., is described from Rapa Island (Rapa Iti), French Polynesia. The holotype (and single known specimen) is a left tarsometatarsus recovered from Tangarutu Cave. This rail species was apparently endemic to Rapa Iti and potentially flightless. It became extinct after human colonisation of the island.

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