Pachyornis geranoides Owen, 1848:361
Stout-legged moa, Mantell's moa, Moa Ruarangi (Māori)
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonyms: Palapteryx geranoides Owen, 1848a: 1, 7 [nomen nudum]; Palapteryx geranoides Owen, 1848b:346 [nomen nudum]; Palapteryx geranoides Owen, 1848c:361, pl. 54, figs 1–3; Dinornis geranoides (Owen, 1848c:361); Cela geranoides (Owen, 1848c:361) (in part); Anomalopteryx(?) geranoides (Owen, 1848c:361); Dinornis curtus Owen 1871:pl. 44, figs 7–10 [not Dinornis curtus Owen, 1846]; Anomalopteryx curta (Owen, 1871:pl. 44, figs 7–10) (in part) [unjustified emendation]; Pachyornis pygmaeus Hutton 1895: 174, pl. 9 [not Euryapteryx pygmaeus Hutton, 1891]; Dinornis expunctus Archey, 1927:152 [unnecessary nomen novum for Palapteryx geranoides Owen, 1848]; Emeus exilis (Hutton, 1897:552) (in part); Pachyornis mappini Archey, 1941:41, pls 4–5, 7, 9–12, 15; Pachyornis (Mauiornis) mappini (Archey, 1941:41, pls 4–5, 7, 9–12, 15); Pachyornis (Mauiornis) septentrionalis Oliver, 1949:59, figs 29–37; Pachyornis septentrionalis Oliver, 1949:59, figs 29–37
A complete synonymy taken from (Checklist Committee (OSNZ), 2022:15-16):
Palapteryx geranoides Owen, 1848a (13 Apr.): Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1848 (16): 1, 7 [nomen nudum]; Palapteryx geranoides Owen, 1848b (22 Apr.): Trans. Zool. Soc. London 3(5): 346 [nomen nudum]; Palapteryx geranoides Owen, 1848c (22 Apr.): Trans. Zool. Soc. London 3(5): 361, pl. 54, figs 1–3 – Waingongoro, North Island; Dinornis geranoides (Owen); Owen 1866, Trans. Zool. Soc. London 5(5): 395, 402, pl. 65, figs 5, 6; pl. 67, figs 5, 6; Cela geranoides (Owen); Hutton 1891, New Zealand Journ. Sci. (new series) 1: 248 (in part); Pachyornis geranoides (Owen); Worthy 2005, Tuhinga 16: 40; Anomalopteryx(?) geranoides (Owen); Lydekker 1891, Cat. Fossil Birds Brit. Museum: 288; Dinornis curtus; Owen 1871, Trans. Zool. Soc. London 7(5): pl. 44, figs 7–10. Not Dinornis curtus Owen, 1846; Anomalopteryx curta (Owen); Lydekker 1891, Cat. Fossil Birds Brit. Museum: 281 (in part) [unjustified emendation]; Pachyornis pygmaeus; Hutton 1895, Trans. N.Z. Inst. 27: 174, pl. 9. Not Euryapteryx pygmaeus Hutton, 1891; Dinornis expunctus Archey, 1927: Trans. N.Z. Inst. 58: 152 [unnecessary nomen novum for Palapteryx geranoides Owen, 1848]; Emeus exilis (Hutton); Oliver 1930, New Zealand Birds, 1st edition: 49 (in part); Pachyornis mappini Archey, 1941: Bull. Auck. Inst. Museum 1: 41, pls 4–5, 7, 9–12, 15 – Mangaotaki, Piopio; Pachyornis (Mauiornis) mappini (Archey); Oliver 1949, Dom. Mus. Bull. 15: 59, figs 35, 37–40; Pachyornis (Mauiornis) septentrionalis Oliver, 1949: Dom. Mus. Bull. 15: 59, figs 29–37 – Te Pohue, Hawke’s Bay; Pachyornis septentrionalis Oliver; Brodkorb 1963, Bull. Florida State Museum (Biol. Sci.) 7(4): 211
Conservation Status
Extinct
Last record: Holocene
Distribution
North Island, New Zealand
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
NMNZS.129 (pelvis, lectotype of Pachyornis (Mauiornis) septentrionalis)
NMNZS.129 (paralectotype of Pachyornis (Mauiornis) septentrionalis)
Media
Above: Mantell's Moa. Pachyornis geranoides. 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 (2006-0010-1/21)
References
Original scientific description:
Owen, R. (1848) Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 3(5): 361
Other references:
Baker, Allan J. et al. (2005). Reconstructing the tempo and mode of evolution in an extinct clade of birds with ancient DNA: The giant moas of New Zealand. PNAS 102(23): 8257-8262.
Checklist Committee (OSNZ). (2010). Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica (4th ed.). Ornithological Society of New Zealand & Te Papa Press, Wellington. [p. 13-14]
Checklist Committee (OSNZ). (2022). Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand (5th edition). Ornithological Society of New Zealand Occasional Publication No. 1. Wellington: Ornithological Society of New Zealand. [p. 15-16]
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Gill, B. J. (2022). Thickness histograms of Holocene fossil eggshell fragments indicate diversity and relative abundance of moas (Aves: Dinornithiformes) at North Island sites. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 49(2): 143-165. https://doi.org/10.1080/03014223.2021.1970585
Holdaway, Richard N., Worthy, Trevor H. and Tennyson, Alan J. D. (2001). A working list of breeding bird species of the New Zealand region at first human contact. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 28: 119-187.
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McCallum, J., Hall, S., Lissone, I., Anderson, J., Huynen, L. and Lambert, D. M. (2013). Highly Informative Ancient DNA ‘Snippets’ for New Zealand Moa. PLoS ONE 8(1): e50732.
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Hugh Robertson, John Dowding, Graeme Elliott, Rod Hitchmough, Colin Miskelly, Colin O’Donnell, Ralph Powlesland, Paul Sagar, Paul Scofield, Graeme Taylor. (2013). Conservation status of New Zealand birds, 2012. New Zealand Threat Classification Series 4. 22 pp.
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Worthy, Trevor H. (1991). An overview of the taxonomy, fossil history, biology and extinction of moas. Proceedings of the Twentieth International Ornithologists Congress, Symposium 6: 555-562.
Worthy, Trevor H. (1992). A re-examination of the species Euryapteryx geranoides (Owen) including comparisons with other emeiin moas (Aves: Dinornithiformes). Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 22(1): 19-40.
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