The Barbados rail is a fossil rail species endemic to Barbados with an undetermined taxonomic status.[2] It was formerly described by Pierce Brodkorb in 1965 as Fulica podagrica.[3] However, this classification has been questioned by Storrs Olson when he described Brodkorb's material anew in 1974.[2] It is only known by Brodkorb's holotype which consists of a humerus and several leg elements including femur, tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus fragments.[3] The humerus may not be specifically distinct from those of the American coot (Fulica americana) but most of the femur, tibiotarsus and tarsometarsus fragments are from a yet undescribed larger rail of an undetermined genus not related to Fulica.[3] Olson further assumed that Brodkorb's material might be a composite of several rail species.[3] The bone fragments were unearthed in Late Pleistocene deposits in Saint Philip Parish and Ragged Point on Barbados.[3]
| Barbados rail Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Rallidae |
| Genus: | Fulica |
| Species: | †F. podagrica |
| Binomial name | |
| †Fulica podagrica | |
Etymology
Brodkorb's previous species epithet is derived from the Greek term podagrikos (which means affected with gout). This applied in allusion to the large size of the leg elements.[3]
References
Further reading
- P. Brodkorb. 1967. Catalogue of fossil birds: Part 3 (Ralliformes, Ichthyornithiformes, Charadriiformes). Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences 11(3):99–220 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]
- S. L. Olson. 1977. A synopsis of the fossil Rallidae. In S. D. Ripley (ed.), Rails of the World 339–378 [M. Uhen/M. Uhen]