// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Niue rail say? "I'm on the right track.
| Niue rail Temporal range: Late Holocene | |
|---|---|
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| Bone of holotype specimen of Gallirallus huiatua, collected from Anakuli Cave, Niue by Trevor Worthy | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Rallidae |
| Genus: | Gallirallus |
| Species: | †G. huiatua |
| Binomial name | |
| †Gallirallus huiatua | |
The Niue rail (Gallirallus huiatua) is an extinct species of flightless bird in the Rallidae, or rail family.
History
[edit]The rail was described in 2000 from subfossil bones collected in January 1995 by paleozoologist Trevor Worthy at the Anakuli cave site in Hakupu village, on the island of Niue in West Polynesia. The age range of about 5300 to 3600 year BP for fossil material collected from the site predates human settlement of the island.[1]
Etymology
[edit]The specific epithet comes from the Niuean words hui (bones) and atua (of the dead).[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Steadman, David W.; Worthy, Trevor H.; Anderson, Atholl J. & Walter, Richard. (2000-06-01). "New species and records of birds from prehistoric sites on Niue, southwest Pacific". Wilson Bulletin. 112 (2): 165–186. doi:10.1676/0043-5643(2000)112[0165:NSAROB]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 86588636. Archived from the original on 2007-05-24.(subscription required)
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