Pachyplichas
Appearance
Pachyplichas Temporal range: Late Pleistocene-Holocene
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Pachyplichas yaldwyni | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Acanthisittidae |
Genus: | †Pachyplichas Millener, 1988 |
Species | |
2, see text |
Pachyplichas is a genus containing two extinct species of New Zealand wren, a family of small birds endemic to New Zealand.
Species
- †P. yaldwyni (South Island stout-legged wren) – South Island, New Zealand
- †P. jagmi (North Island stout-legged wren) – North Island, New Zealand
Description
The stout-legged wrens formed a species pair. They had reduced wings and robust legs indicating that they were adapted to a terrestrial existence and were either flightless or nearly so.[1] Genetic evidence has indicated that Pachyplichas is nested within Xenicus, and stout legged wrens must have evolved from a gracile legged ancestor. A cladogram is given below.[2]
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References
Notes
- ^ Millener (1988).
- ^ Mitchell, Kieren J.; Wood, Jamie R.; Llamas, Bastien; McLenachan, Patricia A.; Kardailsky, Olga; Scofield, R. Paul; Worthy, Trevor H.; Cooper, Alan (September 2016). "Ancient mitochondrial genomes clarify the evolutionary history of New Zealand's enigmatic acanthisittid wrens". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 102: 295–304. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.05.038. PMID 27261250.
Sources
- Millener, P.R. (1988). "Contributions to New Zealand's Late Quaternary avifauna. 1: Pachyplichas, a new genus of wren (Aves: Acanthisittidae), with two new species". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 18 (4): 383–406. doi:10.1080/03036758.1988.10426464.