Ratite

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Ratites
Soothren Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius)
Scientific classification e
Kinrick: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Cless: Aves
Superorder: Palaeognathae
Order: Struthioniformes
Latham, 1790[1]
Faimilies

Struthionidae ostrich
Rheidae rhea
Casuariidae cassowary
Dromaiidae emu
Aepyornithidae elephant bird
Dinornithidae moa
Apterygidae kiwi

Synonyms

Gallinae Linnaeus, 1735[2]
Brachypterae Mohr, 1752[2]
Grallae Linnaeus, 1760[2]
Nudipedes Schäffer, 1774[2]
Fissipedes bidactyles Schäffer, 1774[2]
Retipedes Scopoli, 1777[2]
Struthiones Latham, 1790[2][3]
Campestres Illiger, 1811[2]
Cursores Illiger, 1811[3]
Proceri Illiger, 1811[2][3]
Megistanes Vieillot, 1816[2][3]
Brevipennes Cuvier, 1817[3]
Pressirostres Cuvier, 1817[2]
Inertes Temminck, 1820[2]
Ratitae Ranzani, 1823[2]
Rasores Vigors, 1826[2]
Cursitrices MacGillivray, 1840[2]
Grallatores Keyserling & Bl., 1840[2]
Proceres Sunder., 1872[3]
Struthiornithiformes

A ratite is ony o a diverse group o lairge, flichtless birds o the superorder Palaeognathae. Thare is still some controversy regardin the systematics involved. Some soorces state that Ratites are synonymous wi Struthioniformes,[4] while ither soorces state that Ratites are the same group, anly that the order Struthioniformes contains anly the Ostrich an possibly the Elephant Bird.[1][5] Ratites belang tae the modren bird superorder Palaeognathae which consists o ratites an tinamous (compare tae Neognathae).[6] Unlik ither flichtless birds, the ratites hae nae keel on thair sternum – hence the name frae the Laitin ratis (for raft). Wioot this tae anchor thair wing muscles, thay coud nae flee even if thay wur tae develop suitable wings.

Maist pairts o the umwhile Gondwana Supercontinent hae ratites, or did hae till the fairly recent past. Thair closest livin relatives are the tinamous o Sooth Americae.[7][8]

Some taxonomical seestems consider the various faimilies o ratites tae be orders, but the seestem uised here uises the order "Struthioniformes" tae refer tae aw ratites.

References[eedit | eedit soorce]

  1. a b Brands, Sheila (2008)
  2. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Gray, George Robert (1863)
  3. a b c d e f Salvadori, Tomasso (1895)
  4. ITIS (1996)
  5. Harshman, J. & Brown, J.W. (2010)
  6. Phillips, Matthew (2010). "Tinamous and Moa Flock Together: Mitochondrial Genome Sequence Analysis Reveals Independent Losses of Flight among Ratites". Society of Systematic Biologists. 59 (1): 90–107. Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  7. Haddrath, O.; Baker A. (2001)
  8. Cooper, A.; Lalueza-Fox, C.; Anderson, S.; Rambaut, A.; Austin, J.; Ward, R. (2001)