A New Species of Small Flightless Duck from Amsterdam Island, Southern Indian Ocean (Anatidae: Anas)
The islands of Amsterdam and St. Paul each appear to have been inhabited by endemic populations of ducks that were exterminated by humans or human-introduced mammals in the past two hundred years. The duck from St. Paul is known only from a historical account in 1793. Abundant bone remains of a duck...
| Veröffentlicht in: | The Condor. - Cooper Ornithological Society. - 98(1996), 1, Seite 1-9 |
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| Format: | Online-Aufsatz |
| Sprache: | English |
| Veröffentlicht: |
1996
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| Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk: | The Condor |
| Schlagworte: | Anas marecula New species Amsterdam Island St. Paul Island Flightlessness Paleontology Extinction Biological sciences Physical sciences Business |
| Zusammenfassung: | The islands of Amsterdam and St. Paul each appear to have been inhabited by endemic populations of ducks that were exterminated by humans or human-introduced mammals in the past two hundred years. The duck from St. Paul is known only from a historical account in 1793. Abundant bone remains of a duck from Amsterdam Island are described as a new species, Anas marecula. This was a small, teal-sized species with very reduced wings and pectoral girdle, so that it was certainly flightless. The short, pointed bill suggests a possible derivation of the species from an ancestor related to the widgeons formerly segregated in the genus Mareca. |
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| ISSN: | 19385129 |
| DOI: | 10.2307/1369501 |