Astolfo's rail

Astolfo's rail (Gallirallus astolfoi) is an extinct species of flightless bird in the Rallidae, or rail family. It lived in Rapa Iti, one of the Bass Islands in French Polynesia.

Astolfo's rail
Temporal range: Late Holocene
Artistic reconstruction of Astolfo's rail, Gallirallus astolfoi, 2022 by Simone Giovanardi.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Rallidae
Genus: Gallirallus
Species:
†G. astolfoi
Binomial name
†Gallirallus astolfoi
Salvador, Anderson & Tennyson, 2021[1]

History

This rail species was described in 2021 from a subfossil bone collected in 2002 by Atholl Anderson[2] at the Tangarutu Cave site on the island of Rapa Iti in French Polynesia.[1] Occupation of the cave likely dates back to between 1400 and 1600 CE.[3] The species likely became extinct after human settlement on Rapa Iti.

Etymology

The specific epithet honors the fictional character Astolfo, who is one of Charlemagne's paladins in the Matter of France.[1] In the epic Orlando Furioso, by Ludovico Ariosto, Astolfo becomes trapped on a remote island because of the sorceress Alcina.

See also

References
  1. Salvador, Rodrigo B.; Anderson, Atholl; Tennyson, Alan J.D. (2021). "An Extinct New Rail (Gallirallus, Aves: Rallidae) Species from Rapa Island, French Polynesia". Taxonomy. 1 (4): 448–457. doi:10.3390/taxonomy1040032.
  2. "Astolfo's Rail, Gallirallus astolfoi". Collections Online. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  3. Anderson, Atholl; Kennett, Douglas J.; Comte, Eric (2012). "The prehistory of Rapa Island". Terra Australis. 37: 247–256.


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