Mergus australis Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841:320
Auckland Islands merganser, Southern merganser, Miuweka (Māori)
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Merganser australis (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841:320); Hutton 1904, Index Faunae N.Z.: 37. Promergus australis (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841:320); Mathews & Iredale 1913, Ibis 1 (10th series): 410.;
Conservation Status
Extinct
Last record: 1901 (Hume & Walters, 2012); 9 January 1902 (Fuller, 1988; Checklist Committee (OSNZ), 2022:31)
IUCN RedList status: Extinct
Distribution
Auckland Islands (& South Island?), New Zealand
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Known preserved material (after Kear & Scarlett, 1970):
26 skins
3 almost complete skeletons
1 carcass (preserved in alcohol)
plus some additional bones
Media
Above: Southern Merganser. Mergus australis. From the series: Extinct Birds of New Zealand., 2005, Masterton, by Paul Martinson. Purchased 2006. © Te Papa. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Te Papa (2006-0010-1/33)
References
Original scientific description:
Hombron, J. and Jacquinot, H. (1841). A description of the Auckland Islands Merganser. Ann. Sci. Nat. Zool. 16: 320.
Other references:
Alexander, D. (1902). Cruise of the Tutanekai to the southern islands December 1901–January 1902. Manuscript MSY-4600, Alexander Turnbull Library (National Library of New Zealand), Wellington, New Zealand.
BirdLife International (2000) Threatened Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona and Cambridge.
BirdLife International. (2012). Mergus australis. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. (http://www.iucnredlist.org). Downloaded on 19 May 2013.
BirdLife International. 2016. Mergus australis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22680496A92864737. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22680496A92864737.en. Accessed on 02 July 2022.
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