- Solomons Frogmouth
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Solomons Frogmouth Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves (unranked): Cypselomorphae? Order: Caprimulgiformes (disputed) Family: Podargidae Genus: Rigidipenna
Cleere et al, 2007Species: R. inexpectata Binomial name Rigidipenna inexpectata
(Hartert, 1901)Synonyms - Podargus inexpectatus
- Podargus ocellatus inexpectatus
The Solomons Frogmouth (Rigidipenna inexpectata), also known as the Cinnamon Frogmouth or Solomon Islands Frogmouth, is a bird in the frogmouth family. It was first described in 1901, but not recognized as highly distinct until 2007.[2] It is the only known member of the genus Rigidipenna. It is endemic to the islands of Isabel, Bougainville and Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.[3]
Description
At first the bird was thought to be a subspecies of the Australian Marbled Frogmouth (Podargus ocellatus). In 1998 an expedition by the Florida Museum of Natural History to Santa Isabel Island managed to collect a new specimen. Upon examining it, Nigel Cleere, Andrew Kratter, David Steadman and co-workers realized that it was highly distinct, and it was moved to a newly coined genus, Rigidipenna.[2]
The Solomons Frogmouth differs in several ways from other frogmouths, for instance in having only eight tail feathers instead of the more usual ten or twelve, and also in having coarser feathers. It also has barred primary feathers and tail feathers, larger speckles and more pronounced white spots. Storrs Olson, a senior zoologist at the Smithsonian Institution, has stated "that this should prove to be such a distinctive new genus... has profound biogeographical implications and represents a real breakthrough in elucidating the evolutionary history of the family."[3]
References
- ^ BirdLife International (2010). "Rigidipenna inexpectata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. International Union for Conservation of Nature. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/151115. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
- ^ a b Cleere, Kratter, Steadman, Braun, Huddleston, Filardi and Dutson. 2007. A new genus of frogmouth (Podargidae) from the Solomon Islands – results from a taxonomic review of Podargus ocellatus inexpectatus Hartert 1901. Ibis 149:271-286
- ^ a b University of Florida News - UF scientists discover new genus of frogmouth bird in Solomon Islands
External links
Categories:- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Podargidae
- Birds of the Solomon Islands
- Animals described in 1901
- Monotypic bird genera
- Caprimulgiformes stubs
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