Dryolimnas
Encyclopedia
The genus
Dryolimnas comprises birds in the rail
family
. The Réunion Rail
, a member of this genus, became extinct
in the 17th century. The White-throated Rail of Aldabra
is the last surviving flightless bird
in the western Indian Ocean.
They are mostly found on Malabar Island, but can also be found on Polymnieli Island and other islands. An undescribed extinct taxon, sometimes mentioned as Sauzier's Wood-rail, is known from Mauritius
. Though much larger the skeletons of these rails show similarities to the rails of the genus Lewinia
. Therefor the two genera were lumped at times.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Dryolimnas comprises birds in the rail
Rallidae
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
. The Réunion Rail
Réunion Rail
The Réunion Rail also known as Dubois's Wood-rail is an extinct rail species which was endemic to the Mascarenes island of Réunion...
, a member of this genus, became extinct
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
in the 17th century. The White-throated Rail of Aldabra
Aldabra
Aldabra, the world's second largest coral atoll, is in the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that form part of the Seychelles. Uninhabited and extremely isolated, Aldabra is virtually untouched by humans, has distinctive island fauna including the Aldabra Giant Tortoise, and is...
is the last surviving flightless bird
Flightless bird
Flightless birds are birds which lack the ability to fly, relying instead on their ability to run or swim. They are thought to have evolved from flying ancestors. There are about forty species in existence today, the best known being the ostrich, emu, cassowary, rhea, kiwi, and penguin...
in the western Indian Ocean.
They are mostly found on Malabar Island, but can also be found on Polymnieli Island and other islands. An undescribed extinct taxon, sometimes mentioned as Sauzier's Wood-rail, is known from Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
. Though much larger the skeletons of these rails show similarities to the rails of the genus Lewinia
Lewinia
Lewinia is a genus of bird in the Rallidae family. It contains the following species:* Lewin's Rail, Lewinia pectoralis* Brown-banded Rail, Lewinia mirifica* Auckland Rail, Lewinia muelleri...
. Therefor the two genera were lumped at times.
Species
- White-throated RailWhite-throated RailThe White-throated Rail or Cuvier's Rail is a species of bird in the Rallidae family. It is found in Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, and Seychelles. A flightless subspecies, Dryolimnas cuvieri aldabranus , inhabits Aldabra, while another, D. c...
or Cuvier's Rail, Dryolimnas cuvieri- Aldabra White-throated Rail, Dryolimnas cuvieri aldabranus
- Assumption White-throated Rail, Dryolimnas cuvieri abbotti - extinct (early 20th century)
- Réunion RailRéunion RailThe Réunion Rail also known as Dubois's Wood-rail is an extinct rail species which was endemic to the Mascarenes island of Réunion...
, Dryolimnas augusti - extinct (late 17th century)