The Fossil Rails of C.W. De Vis, being mainly an extinct form of Tribonyx mortierii from Queensland

Abstract

The fossil rails described by C. W. De Vis from late Pliocene or early Pleistocene deposits (Chinchilla Sand) in south-eastern Queensland were re-examined. Fulica prior was found to be synonymous with F. atra. All the other rallid fossils represent an extinct form of Tribonyx mortierii, recognizable by its slightly smaller size as a distinct subspecies for which the name Porphyrio reperta De Vis has priority. The rest of De Vis's names (Gallinula peralato, G. strenuipes, Tribonyx effluxus, and Porphyrio mackintoshi) are synonymized with Tribonyx mortierii reperta. Tribonyx mortierii is believed to have evolved on the mainland and spread to Tasmania when the two were connected. At some time after the final opening of Bass Strait, the mainland population became extinct, leaving a relic on Tasmania that evolved a slightly larger size.