Emeus crassus (Owen, 1846)
Eastern moa, Moa Mōmona (Māori)
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Dinornis crassus Owen, 1846:46; Syornis crassus (Owen, 1846:46); Euryapteryx crassus (Owen, 1846:46); Dinornis casuarinus Owen, 1846:47; Syornis casuarinus (Owen, 1846:47); Anomalopteryx casuarina (Owen, 1846:47); Mesopteryx casuarina (Owen, 1846:47); Cela casuarinus (Owen, 1846:47); Emeus casuarinus (Owen, 1846:47); Meionornis casuarinus (Owen, 1846:47); Dinornis rheides Owen, 1870:132; ?Cela rheides (Owen, 1870:132); Dinornis huttoni Owen, 1879:430; Megalapteryx huttoni (Owen, 1879:430); Emeus huttonii (Owen, 1879:430); Mesopteryx didinus Hutton, 1892:129 (in part); Mesopteryx didina Hutton, 1893:13; Mesopteryx species γ Parker, 1895:378; Meionornis didinus Hutton 1896:636
A complete synonymy taken from (Checklist Committee (OSNZ), 2022:16-17):
Dinornis crassus Owen, 1846: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1846 (14): 46 – Waikouaiti, Otago.; Emeus crassus (Owen); Reichenbach 1850, Avium Syst. Nat.: 30.; Syornis crassus (Owen); Hutton 1891, New Zealand Journ. Sci. (new series) 1(6): 249.; Euryapteryx crassus (Owen); Hutton 1896, Trans. N.Z. Inst. 28: 638.; Dinornis casuarinus Owen, 1846: Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1846 (14): 47 – Waikouaiti, Otago.; Syornis casuarinus (Owen); Reichenbach 1850, Avium Syst. Nat.: 30.; Anomalopteryx casuarina (Owen); Lydekker 1891, Cat. Fossil Birds Brit. Museum: 257.; Mesopteryx casuarina (Owen); Parker 1895, Trans. Zool. Soc. London 13(11): 377.; Cela casuarinus (Owen); Rothschild 1907, Extinct Birds: 207.; Emeus casuarinus (Owen); Oliver 1930, New Zealand Birds, 1st edition: 48.; Meionornis casuarinus (Owen); Hutton 1896, Trans. N.Z. Inst. 28: 636.; Dinornis rheides Owen, 1870: Trans. Zool. Soc. London 7(2): 132 – Awamoa, Otago.; ?Cela rheides (Owen); Rothschild 1907, Extinct Birds: 207.; Dinornis huttoni Owen, 1879: Extinct Wingless Birds New Zealand: 430 – Hamilton Swamp, Otago.; Megalapteryx huttoni (Owen); Rothschild 1907, Extinct Birds: 199.; Emeus huttonii (Owen); Oliver 1930, New Zealand Birds, 1st edition: 49. Unjustified emendation.; Mesopteryx didinus; Hutton 1892, Trans. N.Z. Inst. 24: 129. In part.; Mesopteryx didina; Hutton 1893, Trans. N.Z. Inst. 25: 13. Not Dinornis didinus Owen, 1883.; Mesopteryx, species γ Parker, 1895: Trans. Zool. Soc. London 13(11): 378 – Hamilton Swamp, Otago.; Meionornis didinus; Hutton 1896, Trans. N.Z. Inst. 28: 636. Not Dinornis didinus Owen, 1883.
Conservation Status
Extinct
Last record: subfossil
Distribution
South, New Zealand
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa:
Media
Above: Moa skeleton, circa 1880, Dunedin, by Burton Brothers. Te Papa (C.014979)
Above: Eastern Moa. Emeus crassus. 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 (2006-0010-1/23)
References
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