The bird family Casuariidae has four surviving members: the three
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
cassowary
Cassowaries ( tpi, muruk, id, kasuari) are flightless birds of the genus ''Casuarius'' in the order Casuariiformes. They are classified as ratites (flightless birds without a keel on their sternum bones) and are native to the tropical forest ...
and the
emu
The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus ''Dromaius''. The emu' ...
.
All living members of the family are very large
flightless bird
Flightless birds are birds that through evolution lost the ability to fly. There are over 60 extant species, including the well known ratites (ostriches, emu, cassowaries, rheas, and kiwi) and penguins. The smallest flightless bird is the In ...
s native to
Australia-New Guinea
The continent of Australia, sometimes known in technical contexts by the names Sahul (), Australia-New Guinea, Australinea, Meganesia, or Papualand to distinguish it from the country of Australia, is located within the Southern and East ...
.
[Clements, J (2007)]
Species
*† ''
Emuarius
''Emuarius'' is an extinct genus of casuariiform flightless bird from Australia that lived during the early Miocene and late Oligocene. It is one of two known genera of emu. There are two known species in the genus, ''Emuarius gidju'' and ' ...
''
Boles, 1992 (emuwaries) (Late
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...
– Late
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
)
**† ''
E. gidju''
(Patterson & Rich 1987) Boles, 1992
**† ''
E. guljaruba''
Boles, 2001
*''
Casuarius
Cassowaries ( tpi, muruk, id, kasuari) are flightless birds of the genus ''Casuarius'' in the order Casuariiformes. They are classified as ratites (flightless birds without a keel on their sternum bones) and are native to the tropical forest ...
''
Brisson, 1760 (cassowary)
**† ''
C. lydekkeri''
Rothschild, 1911 (Pygmy cassowary)
** ''
C. casuarius''
(Linnaeus, 1758) (Southern cassowary)
** ''
C. unappendiculatus''
Blyth, 1860 (Northern cassowary)
** ''
C. bennetti''
Gould, 1857 (Dwarf Cassowary)
*** ''
C. b. westermanni''
(Sclater, 1874) (Papuan dwarf cassowary)
*** ''
C. b. bennetti''
Gould, 1857 (Bennett's cassowary)
* ''
Dromaius
''Dromaius'' (from greek δρομαίυς "runner") is a genus of ratite present in Australia. There is one extant species, ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'' commonly known as the emu.
In his original 1816 description of the emu, Louis Jean Pierre Vi ...
''
Vieillot, 1816 (emu)
** †''
D. arleyekweke''
Yates & Worthy 2019
** †''
D. ocypus''
Miller 1963
** ''
D. novaehollandiae''
(Latham, 1790) (Emu)
*** †''
D. n. diemenensis''
Le Souef, 1907 (Tasmanian emu)
*** †''
D. n. minor''
Spencer, 1906 (King Island emu)
*** †''
D. n. baudinianus''
Parker, SA, 1984 (Kangaroo Island emu)
*** ''
D. n. novaehollandiae''
(Latham, 1790) (Emu)
Systematics and evolution
The fossil record of casuariforms is interesting, but not very extensive.
Some Australian fossils initially believed to be from emus were recognized to represent a distinct
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
, ''Emuarius'',
[
From "Emu" + "''Casuarius''". Describer W. E. Boles commonly refers to the genus as "emuwaries" or "cassomus".]
which had a cassowary-like skull and
femur
The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with ...
and an emu-like lower leg and foot.
Footnotes
References
*Boles, Walter E. (2001): A new emu (Dromaiinae) from the Late Oligocene Etadunna Formation. ''
Emu
The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus ''Dromaius''. The emu' ...
'' 101: 317–321
HTML abstract*
*
*Folch, A. (1992). Family Casuariidae (Cassowaries). pp. 90– 97 in; del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'', Vol 1, Ostrich to Ducks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q756871
Bird families
Ratites
Flightless birds
Taxa named by Johann Jakob Kaup