''Nelepsittacus'' is a genus of extinct

New Zealand parrot The New Zealand parrot family, Strigopidae,Nestoridae and Strigopidae are described in the same article, Bonaparte, C.L. (1849) ''Conspectus Systematis Ornithologiae''. Therefore, under rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, ...

s that is closely related to the genus '' Nestor'' (the living kaka and

kea The kea (; ; ''Nestor notabilis'') is a species of large parrot in the family Nestoridae found in the forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. About long, it is mostly olive-green with a brilliant orange under its wing ...

). It consists of four species, of which three have been named so far. The species are all known from the early Miocene

Saint Bathans Fauna The St Bathans fauna is found in the lower Bannockburn Formation of the Manuherikia Group of Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. It comprises a suite of fossilised prehistoric animals from the late Early Miocene (Altonian) period, ...

from the Lower Bannockburn Formation in Otago in New Zealand. Features in their skeletons, namely the

coracoid A coracoid (from Greek κόραξ, ''koraks'', raven) is a paired bone which is part of the shoulder assembly in all vertebrates except therian mammals (marsupials and placentals). In therian mammals (including humans), a coracoid process is prese ...

, humerus,

tibiotarsus The tibiotarsus is the large bone between the femur and the tarsometatarsus in the leg of a bird. It is the fusion of the proximal part of the tarsus with the tibia. A similar structure also occurred in the Mesozoic Heterodontosauridae. These s ...

, and tarsometatarsus, that they share only with the ''Nestor'' parrots link them to that genus.Leo Joseph, Alicia Toon, Erin E. Schirtzinger, Timothy F. Wright & Richard Schodde. (2012) A revised nomenclature and classification for family-group taxa of parrots (Psittaciformes). Zootaxa 3205: 26–40 Flora from the Saint Bathans fauna fossil beds indicate these parrots were found in a subtropical rainforest habitat. Following the early to mid Miocene, there was a drop in temperature, which led to a loss of local flora and fauna. This loss of native ''Nelepsittacus'' parrots likely spurred the proliferation of ''

Cyanoramphus ''Cyanoramphus'' is a genus of parakeets native to New Zealand and islands of the southern Pacific Ocean. The New Zealand forms are often referred to as kākāriki. They are small to medium-sized parakeets with long tails and predominantly gree ...

'' parrots, a more recent migrant from the southwest Pacific. The largest known fossil species of parrot, '' Heracles inexpectatus'', was described in 2019 from bones also identified as early Miocene St Bathans fauna. The generic epithet ''Heracles'' was named as an allusion to this genus, in one mythic tradition the Greek hero

Herakles Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive ...

slew the king Neleus.

Discovery and naming

The parrots of the ''Nelepsittacus'' genus were first described by

Trevor H. Worthy Trevor Henry Worthy (born 3 January 1957) is an Australia-based paleozoologist from New Zealand, known for his research on moa and other extinct vertebrates. Biography Worthy grew up in Broadwood, Northland, and went to Whangarei Boys' High S ...

in 2007. Most of the fossils of these parrots were found on the banks of the Manuherikia River in Otago, New Zealand. The genus is named for the Greek mythological figure Neleus who was the father of Nestor, reflecting the relationship between the genus and the extant ''Nestor''.

Species

(Listed in order of description)

''Nelepsittacus minimus''

The type species, ''N. minimus'' is the smallest of the three (possibly four) known ''Nelepsittacus'' parrots.

''Nelepsittacus donmertoni''

''Nelepsittacus donmertoni'' is the next-smallest species, and its bones indicate it was about the same size as the

crimson rosella The crimson rosella (''Platycercus elegans'') is a parrot native to eastern and south eastern Australia which has been introduced to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. It is commonly found in, but not restricted to, mountain forests and gardens. The ...

(''Platycercus elegans'') of eastern Australia. Their mandibles are noted to bear more similarities to that of ''Strigops'' (the Kakapo) than ''Nestor''. ''N. donmertoni'' was named in honor of the late

Don Merton Donald Vincent Merton (22 February 193910 April 2011) was a New Zealand conservationist best known for saving the black robin from extinction. He also discovered the lek breeding system of the kākāpō. When Merton began his work as a conser ...

, who was instrumental in saving the kakapo.

''Nelepsittacus daphneleeae''

''N. daphneleeae'' is about a quarter larger than the previously mentioned ''N. donmertoni''. The humerus and

ulna The ulna (''pl''. ulnae or ulnas) is a long bone found in the forearm that stretches from the elbow to the smallest finger, and when in anatomical position, is found on the medial side of the forearm. That is, the ulna is on the same side of t ...

of this parrot suggest it was a little bigger than the

Australian king parrot The Australian king parrot (''Alisterus scapularis'') is a species of parrot endemic to eastern Australia ranging from Cooktown in Queensland to Port Campbell in Victoria. Found in humid and heavily forested upland regions of the eastern portion ...

(''Alisterus scapularis''), but a little smaller than a

galah The galah (; ''Eolophus roseicapilla''), also known as the pink and grey cockatoo or rose-breasted cockatoo, is the only species within genus ''Eolophus'' of the cockatoo family. Found throughout Australia, it is among the most common of the c ...

(''Eolophus roseicapillus''). While it shares many skeletal similarities with the two previously mentioned species, ''N. daphneleeae'' is only tentatively classified as ''Nelepsittacus'' because of an inadequate representation of the tarsometatarsus. ''N. daphneleeae'' was named in honor of geologist Daphne Lee for her contribution to the knowledge of Miocene terrestrial ecosystems in New Zealand.

''Nelepsittacus sp.''

The last species, so far undescribed and known only from a left scapula and humerus, is around the same size as a kea (''Nestor notabilis'').

Phylogeography

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1216262 Bird genera Extinct birds of New Zealand Strigopoidea Miocene birds Fossil taxa described in 2011