| Coua berthae Temporal range: Holocene | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Cuculiformes |
| Family: | Cuculidae |
| Genus: | Coua |
| Species: | C. berthae |
| Binomial name | |
| Coua berthae Goodman & Ravoavy 1993 | |
Coua berthae is an extinct species of coua, a large, mostly terrestrial bird in the cuckoo family, from Madagascar. It was the largest member of its genus, living or extinct. [1]
Alfred Grandidier discovered a complete tarsometatarsus at Apasambazimba as early as 1911. [2] This bone is in the Academie Malgache and is now classified as a paratype. [2] The holotype, a left half of the pelvis, was brought to light in 1983 in the Grotte d'Anjohibe near Andranoboka. [2]
It is named after the Malagasy primatologist and palaeontologist, Bertha Rakotosamimanana. [3]
Due to the length of the pelvis half of 68.2 millimetres (2.69 in) and the tarsometatarsus of 92.9 millimetres (3.66 in), it is assumed that Coua berthae represented the largest type of silk cuckoo. [2] An estimated minimum weight of 740 grams (26 oz) was calculated from the comparison of the basin lengths of four recent types of silk cuckoo using linear regression. [2] This estimated weight is twice that of Coua gigas - the largest of the living couas. [4] Given that all silk cuckoo species have proportionally small wing bones, it has been assumed that Coua berthae was not a good flyer. [1]
Coua berthae is known only from fossilized remains from the Holocene period; the exact time of extinction and the cause are unknown. [2] Deforestation could have been a contributing factor to its extinction. [5]
The cuckoos are a family of birds, Cuculidae, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes. The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separated as distinct families, the Centropodidae and Crotophagidae respectively. The cuckoo order Cuculiformes is one of three that make up the Otidimorphae, the other two being the turacos and the bustards.
Elephant birds are members of the extinct ratite family Aepyornithidae, made up of large to enormous flightless birds that once lived on the island of Madagascar. They became extinct, perhaps around 1000–1200 CE, probably as a result of human activity. Elephant birds comprised the genera Mullerornis, Vorombe and Aepyornis. While they were in close geographical proximity to the ostrich, their closest living relatives are kiwi, suggesting that ratites did not diversify by vicariance during the breakup of Gondwana but instead evolved from ancestors that dispersed more recently by flying.
Plesiorycteropus, also known as the bibymalagasy or Malagasy aardvark, is a recently extinct eutherian mammalian genus from Madagascar. Upon its description in 1895, it was classified with the aardvark, but more recent molecular evidence instead suggests that it is most closely related to the tenrecs. Two species are currently recognized, the larger P. madagascariensis and the smaller P. germainepetterae. They probably overlapped in distribution, as subfossil remains of both species have been found in the same site.
Aepyornis is a genus of aepyornithid, one of three genera of ratite birds endemic to Madagascar until their extinction sometime around AD 1000. The species A. maximus weighed up to 540 kilograms (1,200 lb), and until recently was regarded as the largest known bird of all time. However, in 2018 the largest aepyornithid specimens, weighing up to 730 kilograms (1,600 lb), were moved to the related genus Vorombe.
The Rodrigues rail, also known as Leguat's gelinote or Leguat's rail, is an extinct species of the rail family that was endemic to the Mascarene island of Rodrigues, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It is generally kept in its own genus, Erythromachus, but has sometimes been assigned to the genus Aphanapteryx along with its close relative the red rail of Mauritius; their relationship with other rails is unclear. The Rodrigues rail was about 35 cm (14 in) long and weighed at least 500 g (18 oz). It was described as having grey plumage, a red beak, red legs, and a naked red patch around the eye. The beak was long and curved downwards. It was flightless and fed on tortoise eggs. It was described as being attracted to red objects, which humans exploited while hunting it.
Couas are large, mostly terrestrial birds of the cuckoo family, endemic to the island of Madagascar.
The giant coua is a bird species from the coua genus in the cuckoo family that is endemic to the dry forests of western and southern Madagascar. It is suggested that couas probably originated from a particular Asian ground-cuckoo. Genus coua contains 10 species, more than any other genus in Madagascar. Although the bird is listed under least concern (LC) in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, it only persists in the biological hot spot of Madagascar, warranting its recognition as a species of conservation concern at the global scale.
Mullerornis is a genus of extinct elephant birds (Aepyornithidae) of Madagascar.
Cryptoprocta spelea, also known as the giant fossa, is an extinct species of carnivore from Madagascar in the family Eupleridae, which is most closely related to the mongooses and includes all Malagasy carnivorans. It was first described in 1902, and in 1935 was recognized as a separate species from its closest relative, the living fossa. C. spelea is larger than the fossa, about the size of a gray wolf, but otherwise similar. The two have not always been accepted as distinct species. When and how the larger form became extinct is unknown; there is some anecdotal evidence, including reports of very large fossas, that there is more than one surviving species.
The blue coua is a species of bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. It is endemic to the island of Madagascar.
The Saint Helena dove was a species of flightless bird in the family Columbidae. It is monotypic within the genus Dysmoropelia. It was endemic to the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is known from remains of Late Pleistocene age found at the Sugarloaf Hill locality, which consists of aeolian calcareous sands. The holotype consists of a right coracoid, with paratypes consisting of "distal end of right tarsometatarsus, (S/1963.25.29) distal half of right humerus, (S/1963.25.26) worn left tibiotarsus lacking distal end, distal portion of shaft of left tarsometatarsus, (S/1963.25.30) worn proximal end of right humerus. left ulna, proximal fragments of left ulnae, (175959) proximal end of right femur, (175962) distal end of right humerus"
The greater long-tailed shrew tenrec is an afrotherian species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests or moist montane forests. Habitat loss threatens its survival.
The Malagasy crowned eagle, also known as the Madagascar crowned hawk-eagle, was a large bird of prey. It may have been comparable in average size to the African crowned eagle, but possibly slightly larger, with the largest female weights estimated at up to 7 kg (15 lb), or about the size of a large female golden eagle. It inhabited Madagascar until 1500 AD. It probably fed on lemurs. The raptor avoidance behaviour exhibited by contemporary lemurs may have originated in part in response to this and another now extinct Malagasy Aquila eagle.
The snipe-rail is an extinct flightless rail endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. The species' name is derived from the Karamu Cave 21 kilometres (13 mi) from Hamilton where the holotype was discovered in 1954.
Voay is an extinct genus of crocodile from Madagascar and includes only one species—V. robustus. Numerous subfossils have been found, including complete skulls as well as vertebrae and osteoderms from such places as Ambolisatra and Antsirabe. The genus is thought to have become extinct relatively recently during the Holocene. It has even been suggested to have disappeared in the extinction event that wiped out much of the endemic megafauna such as the elephant bird following the arrival of humans to Madagascar around 2000 years ago. Its name comes from the Malagasy word for crocodile.
Hypogeomys australis is an extinct rodent from central and southeastern Madagascar. First described in 1903, it is larger than its close relative, the living Hypogeomys antimena, which occurs further west, but otherwise similar. Average length of the femur is 72.1 mm, compared to 63.8 mm in H. antimena. One of the few extinct rodents of Madagascar, it survived to at least around 1536 BP based on radiocarbon dating. Little is known of its ecology, but it may have lived in burrows like its living relative and eaten some arid-adapted plants.
The Puerto Rican quail-dove is an extinct species of dove from the genus of quail-doves Geotrygon. It is only known by subfossil material from the Holocene.
The anatomy of bird legs and feet is diverse, encompassing many accommodations to perform a wide variety of functions.
Berthe Rakotosamimanana was a primatologist and palaeontologist from Madagascar.