Dinornis novaezealandiae Owen, 1843
North Island giant moa, Kuranui (Māori)
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Dinornis Novae-Zealandiae Owen, 1843:8 (protonym); Dinornis novaezelandiae Owen, 1843:8 [orth. error used by (Tennyson & Martinson, 2006:22)]; Dinornis giganteus Owen, 1843:778; Dinornis struthoides Owen, 1843:778 (nomen nudum); Dinornis struthoides Owen, 1844:244; Dinornis struthioides Lydekker, 1891:242; Dinornis ingens Owen, 1844:247; Palapteryx ingens (Owen, 1844:247); Dinornis gigas Owen, 1846:314; Dinornis gracilis Owen, 1854:1402; Dinornis firmus Hutton, 1891:247; Dinornis excelsus Hutton, 1891:247; Dinornis dromioides Oliver 1930:41; Dinornis hercules Oliver, 1949:174; Dinornis gazella Oliver, 1949:166
A complete synonymy taken from (Checklist Committee (OSNZ), 2022:18):
Dinornis Novae-Zealandiae Owen, 1843 (Jul.): Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1843 (11): 8 – Poverty Bay.; Dinornis novaezealandiae Owen; Checklist Committee 1990, Checklist Birds N.Z.: 6.;
Dinornis novaezelandiae Owen; Tennyson & Martinson 2006, Extinct Birds of New Zealand: 22. Unjustified emendation (see Murdoch 2008, Notornis 55: 228).; Dinornis giganteus Owen, 1843 (2 Dec.): The Literary Gazette 1402: 778 – Poverty Bay.; Dinornis struthoides Owen, 1843 (2 Dec.): The Literary Gazette 1402: 778. Nomen nudum.; Dinornis struthoides Owen, 1844: Trans. Zool. Soc. London 3(3): 244 – Poverty Bay.; Dinornis struthioides Lydekker, 1891; Cat. Fossil Birds Brit. Museum: 242. Unjustified emendation.; Dinornis ingens Owen, 1844: Trans. Zool. Soc. London 3(3): 247 – Poverty Bay.; Palapteryx ingens (Owen); Haast 1869, Trans. N.Z. Inst. 1(8): 84.; Dinornis gigas Owen, 1846: Trans. Zool. Soc. London 3(4): 314, pl. 39. Unjustified emendation.; Dinornis gracilis Owen, 1854: The Athenaeum 1412: 1402 – Opito, Coromandel.; Dinornis firmus Hutton, 1891: New Zealand Journ. Sci. (new series) 1(6): 247 – Poverty Bay.; Dinornis excelsus Hutton, 1891: New Zealand Journ. Sci. (new series) 1(6): 247 – Te Aute, Hawke’s Bay.; Dinornis dromioides; Oliver 1930, New Zealand Birds, 1st edition: 41. Not Dinornis dromioides Owen, 1846.; Dinornis hercules Oliver, 1949: Dom. Mus. Bull. 15: 174 – Coonoor, northern Wairarapa.; Dinornis gazella Oliver, 1949: Dom. Mus. Bull. 15: 166 – Te Aute, Hawke’s Bay.
Conservation Status
Extinct
Distribution
North Island (including Great Barrier Island / Aotea), New Zealand
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
NMNZ S.107 (pelvis, holotype of Dinornis gazella)
NMNZS.217a (right tibiotarsus, holotype of Dinornis hercules)
Media
Above: The Moa of New Zealand (Dinorus giganteus). From a specimen in the Canterbury Museum, N.Z. Plate 1. From the book A history of the birds of New Zealand., 1873, by Johannes Keulemans, A Barker, G Ford. Te Papa (RB001176/001a)
Above: North Island Giant Moa. Dinornis novaezealandiae. 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 (2006-0010-1/17)
References
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