Ludiortyx
Encyclopedia
Ludiortyx is a bird genus
from the Late Eocene
. Its remains have been found in the Montmartre Formation at the Montmartre
(Paris
, France
). A single species is accepted, Ludiortyx hoffmanni.
This bird is of uncertain relationships; it has been variously considered to be an ancestral rail or to belong to the Quercymegapodiidae, a prehistoric group of Galliformes
(landfowl). The material assigned to it were initially considered to be of 2 species, one that was at first believed to be a Tringa
wader
, the other assigned to the galliform genus Palaeortyx
. Even the latter assignment was probably much in error as though its relationships are not known, Palaeortyx was probably not a quercymegapodiid.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
from the Late Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
. Its remains have been found in the Montmartre Formation at the Montmartre
Montmartre
Montmartre is a hill which is 130 metres high, giving its name to the surrounding district, in the north of Paris in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit and as a nightclub district...
(Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
). A single species is accepted, Ludiortyx hoffmanni.
This bird is of uncertain relationships; it has been variously considered to be an ancestral rail or to belong to the Quercymegapodiidae, a prehistoric group of Galliformes
Galliformes
Galliformes are an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding domestic or game bird, containing turkey, grouse, chicken, New and Old World Quail, ptarmigan, partridge, pheasant, and the Cracidae. Common names are gamefowl or gamebirds, landfowl, gallinaceous birds or galliforms...
(landfowl). The material assigned to it were initially considered to be of 2 species, one that was at first believed to be a Tringa
Tringa
Tringa is a genus of waders, containing the shanks and tattlers. They are mainly freshwater birds, often with brightly coloured legs as reflected in the English names of six species, as well as the specific names of two of these and the Green Sandpiper. They are typically associated with northern...
wader
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
, the other assigned to the galliform genus Palaeortyx
Palaeortyx
Palaeortyx is an extinct genus of galliform bird. It lived from the middle Eocene to the early Pliocene, and may be a phasianid or odontophorid. It is known from a complete skeleton, found in Germany....
. Even the latter assignment was probably much in error as though its relationships are not known, Palaeortyx was probably not a quercymegapodiid.
Synonyms
Apart from the genus-level synonym Eortyx, L. hoffmanni has undergone quite a number of name changes due to the confusion about its placement:- Tringa hoffmanni Gervais, 1852
- Palaeortyx hoffmanni (Gervais, 1852)
- Palaeortyx blanchardi Milne-Edwards, 1869
- Ludiortyx blanchardi (Milne-Edwards, 1869)
- Eortyx hoffmanni (Gervais, 1852)