Mullerornis rudis (Robust Elephant Bird)

[RSN]

Mullerornis rudis
Milne-Edwards & Grandidier 1894
Pleistocene of w Madagascar
Primary materials: Types: Tibia, tarsometatarsus

home.planet.nl/~by000012/SM/Fossil/FossilAepyorn.htm

[another specialist]

Extinct birds : an attempt to unite in one volume a short account of those birds which have become extinct in historical times : that is, within the last six or seven hundred years : to which are added a few which still exist, but are on the verge of extinction (1907)

Rudis at once upon a time was classed in it own genus (Flacourtia) but has now been included with Mullerornis.

[another specialist]

Extinct birds : an attempt to unite in one volume a short account of those birds which have become extinct in historical times : that is, within the last six or seven hundred years : to which are added a few which still exist, but are on the verge of extinction (1907)

[Peter]

Up to eight species of elephant birds have been listed in the past. But when consideration is yaken that size differences can be explained by sexual dimorphism and temporal variation, qualiative differenes support only three distinct species. These are two Aepyornis species: Aepyornis maximus (includes A. medius as its smaller sex) and A. hildebrandti (includes A. gracilis). The third species is the more gracile Mullornis agilis (includes M. betsilei and M. rudis, named on unusually small specimens, and M. grandis a larger Pleistocene variant). As here defined, the size range of these elephant birds is less than that of some of the moa species, where much larger samples and well-dated specimens are available.

Source: Worthy, T.H. (2009). Fossil Birds. In: Gillespie, R., Clague, D. (Eds.) (2009). Encyclopedia of Islands. Encyclopedias of the Natural World, No. 2. University of California Press. ISBN: 9780520256491.

[surroundx]

Original description:

Milne-Edwards, A. and Grandidier, A. (1894). Observations sur les Aepyornis de Madagascar. Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances de l'Académie des Sciences 118: 122-127.

[surroundx]

Now considered invalid:

Hansford, James P. and Turvey, Samuel T. (2018). Unexpected diversity within the extinct elephant birds (Aves: Aepyornithidae) and a new identity for the world's largest bird. R. Soc. open sci. 5: 181295.