The Antillean cave rail (Nesotrochis debooyi), also known as DeBooy's rail, is an extinct species of flightless bird which occurred on Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.[1]

Antillean cave rail
Temporal range: Late Pleistocene–Early Holocene
Leg and foot bones
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Genus: Nesotrochis
Species:
N. debooyi
Binomial name
Nesotrochis debooyi
Wetmore, 1918
Location of Puerto Rico.

Extinction edit

Bone fragments of this species were first unearthed by archaeologist Theodoor de Booy in kitchen midden deposits on the Richmond estate near Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands in July 1916 and described by Alexander Wetmore in 1918. The Antillean cave rail might have become extinct before the arrival of the Europeans.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ Olson, S. L. (1974): A new species of Nesotrochis from Hispaniola, with notes on other fossil rails from the West Indies (Aves: Rallidae)
  2. ^ Wetmore, A. (1918): Bones of birds collected by Theodoor de Booy from Kitchen Midden deposits in the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix

External links edit