Rallus carvaoensis Alcover, Pieper, Pereira & Rando, 2015, new species
Creators: name: Alcover, Josep Antoni
name: Pieper, Harald
name: Pereira, Fernando
name: Rando, Juan Carlos
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Aves
Gruiformes
Rallidae
Rallus
Rallus carvaoensis

description: Rallus carvaoensis, new species
São Miguel rail
[Figures 5, 8 B–E, 9A, 10C, 11C, 12B, 13A, 15C, 16C, 17C] Artistic reconstruction: Figure 23
Holotype: MCMa 1801.013, partial skeleton: man, pmx frag, L scap frag, R scap, LR hum, L uln prox, R uln, R cmc frag, pel frag, L fem, R dis fem, LR tbt, LR tmt, quad, 20 vers 7 ped pha.
Measurements of the holotype (right, left, in mm): Humerus—length: 28.5, 28.6; proximal width: 6.2, 6.3; minimum shaft width: 1.9, 1.9; distal width: 4.1, 4.1. Ulna—minimum shaft width: 1.2, 1.3; distal width: 2.4, -. Femur—length: -, 36.0; minimum shaft width: ~2.0, ~2.0; distal width: ~5.0, ~7.0. Tibiotarsus—minimum shaft width: 2.5, 2.5; distal width: 4.6, 4.6. Tarsometatarsus—length: -, 31.7; minimum shaft width: 2.6, 2.5; distal width: -, 5.5. Scapula—length: 25.6, -; proximal width: 3.6, -.
Type locality and collection information: Gruta do Carvão, São Miguel; all the material of R. carvaoensis n. sp. was collected in this cave in August 2011 by JCR, MT, and JAA.
Paratypes: IMEDEA 104068, partial skeleton (sku frag, man frags, cor frag, pel frag, fem frag, L tbt and dis R tbt, R tmt and dis L tmt, 12 verts, 5 ped phas); MCMa 1802.013, partial skeleton (sku frag, pmx frags, R tbt frags, LR tmt frags, verts, ped phas); MCMa 1803.013, partial skeleton (man frags, pmx frags, LR tbt frags, tmt frags, 9 ped phas); DZUL 3183, partial skeleton (sku frags, pel frags, R fem and prox L fem, R tbt and prox L tbt, tmt and dis tmt); DZUL 3184, partial skeleton (man frags, pmx frags, cor, L hum, pel frag, LR fem frags, LR tbt frags, LR tmt frags, 18 vers, pha); MCMa 1804.013, partial skeleton (sku frags, man frags, pmx frags, R fem frag, R tbt frag, R tmt and dis L tmt, 6 ped phas); MCMa 1805.013, partial skeleton (sku frags, man frag, ste frag, R cor and L cor frag, hum frag, uln frag, rad frag, LR cmc, R fem and L fem frag, LR tbt, pel frag, 10 vers); IMEDEA 104069, partial skeleton (pmx frags, R hum, vers); MCMa 1806.013, partial skeleton (tbt frags, tmt frag, 5 vers); MCMa 1807.013, partial skeleton (man frags, pmx frags, L tmt and R tmt frag, 1 ped pha); MCMa 1808.013, partial skeleton (man frag, pmx frag, L cor, L hum and dis R hum, R uln frag, LR tbt, 1 ped pha); MCMa 1809.013, partial skeleton (sku frag, man frags, R fem and L sha fem, tbt frag, tmt frag, 6 vers); MCMa 1810.013, partial skeleton (LR cor frags, sca frag, L hum frag, femur frag, tbt frag, 10 vers); MCMa 1811.013, partial skeleton (fem frag, tbt frags, pel frags, 2 vers); MCMa 1812.013, partial skeleton (man frags, pmx frags, L hum and R hum frag, L fem, tbt frags, L tmt, 3 vers); MCMa 1813.013, partial skeleton (man frags, uln frag, R tbt frag, L tmt, 3 ped phas); MCMa 1814.013, partial skeleton (LR tbt frag); MCMa 1815.013, partial skeleton (L tbt fra, LR tmt frags).
Measurements of paratypes: See Table 1.
Age: Probably Holocene-Recent.
Diagnosis. A species of Rallus of small body size and with very reduced wing bones (Figures 11-13). The humerus has a reduced fossa pneumotricipitalis, a crista bicipitalis less expanded than in R. aquaticus, and a reduced and relatively flattened caput. The tibiotarsus, and especially the tarsometatarsus are very shortened compared to those of R. aquaticus, but relatively robust (Figures 16 and 17). The corpus ossi premaxillaris is slightly more curved than in R. aquaticus (Figure 8). All the bones are smaller than in R. aquaticus and larger than in R. minutus n. sp. The wing bones and the tarsometatarsus are smaller than those of R. lowei n. sp., R. adolfocaesaris n. sp. and R. montivagorum n. sp.
Etymology. From the type locality and only known site of this rail.
description: Published as part of Alcover, Josep Antoni, Pieper, Harald, Pereira, Fernando & Rando, Juan Carlos, 2015, Five new extinct species of rails (Aves: Gruiformes: Rallidae) from the Macaronesian Islands (North Atlantic Ocean), pp. 151-190 in Zootaxa 4057 (2) on pages 162-163, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4057.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/233597