Casuariidae: Difference between revisions
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The bird family '''Casuariidae''' has four surviving members: the three [[species]] of [[cassowary]] and the [[emu]]. |
The bird family '''Casuariidae''' has four surviving members: the three [[species]] of [[cassowary]] and the [[emu]]. |
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All living members of the family are very large [[flightless bird]]s native to [[Australia-New Guinea]],<ref name="Clements, J (2007)">Clements, J (2007)</ref> though the potential member ''[[Hypselornis]]'' was native to [[India]].<ref>Lowe, Percy Roycroft 1929. Some remarks on Hypselornis sivalensis Lydekker. Ibis. 71: (4) 571–576. (Journal Article)</ref> The characteristics of the family are those of its members. |
All living members of the family are very large [[flightless bird]]s native to [[Australia-New Guinea]],<ref name="Clements, J (2007)">Clements, J (2007)</ref> though the extinct potential member ''[[Hypselornis]]'' was native to [[India]].<ref>Lowe, Percy Roycroft 1929. Some remarks on Hypselornis sivalensis Lydekker. Ibis. 71: (4) 571–576. (Journal Article)</ref> The characteristics of the family are those of its members. |
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==Species== |
==Species== |
Revision as of 15:59, 2 November 2017
Casuariidae | |
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Southern cassowary | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Infraclass: | Palaeognathae |
Order: | Casuariiformes |
Family: | Casuariidae Kaup, 1847[1] |
Genera | |
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Diversity | |
2-3 genera, 6-7 species |
The bird family Casuariidae has four surviving members: the three species of cassowary and the emu.
All living members of the family are very large flightless birds native to Australia-New Guinea,[2] though the extinct potential member Hypselornis was native to India.[3] The characteristics of the family are those of its members.
Species
- ?† Hypselornis Lydekker 1929 (Pliocene)
- † Hypselornis sivalensis Lydekker 1929
- † Emuarius Boles 1992 (emuwaries) (Late Oligocene – Late Miocene)
- † E. gidju (Patterson & Rich 1987) Boles 1992
- † E. guljaruba Boles 2001
- Casuarius (Linnaeus 1758) (cassowary)
- † C. lydekkeri Rothschild 1911 (Pygmy cassowary)
- C. casuarius (Linnaeus 1758) (Southern cassowary)
- C. unappendiculatus Blyth 1860 (Northern cassowary)
- C. bennetti Gould 1857 (Dwarf Cassowary)
- C. b. westermanni (Sclater 1874) (Papuan dwarf cassowary)
- C. b. bennetti Gould 1857 (Bennett's cassowary)
- Dromaius (Vieillot 1816) (emu)
- D. novaehollandiae (Latham, 1790) (Emu)
- † D. n. diemenensis Le Souef, 1907 (Tasmanian emu)
- † D. n. minor Spencer, 1906 (King Island emu)
- † D. n. baudinianus Parker, SA, 1984 (Kangaroo Island emu)
Systematics and evolution
The fossil record of casuariforms is interesting, but not very extensive.
Some Australian fossils initially believed to be from emus were recognized to represent a distinct genus, Emuarius,[4] which had a cassowary-like skull and femur and an emu-like lower leg and foot.
A Pliocene Indian ratite, Hypselornis, has been classified as a casuariid based on its similarities to modern cassowaries and emus. However, no recent studies have been performed on these remains.
Footnotes
References
- Boles, Walter E. (2001): A new emu (Dromaiinae) from the Late Oligocene Etadunna Formation. Emu 101: 317–321. HTML abstract
- Brands, Sheila (14 August 2008). "Systema Naturae 2000 / Classification, Family Casuariidae". Project: The Taxonomicon. Retrieved 4 February 2009.
- Clements, James (2007). The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World (6 ed.). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-4501-9.
- Folch, A. (1992). Family Casuariidae (Cassowaries). pp. 90– 97 in; del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol 1, Ostrich to Ducks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-09-1
External links
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