| Hodgens' Waterhen | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
|
Fossil
|
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Gruiformes |
| Family: | Rallidae |
| Genus: | Gallinula |
| Species: | G. hodgenorum |
| Binomial name | |
| Gallinula hodgenorum Olson, 1986 |
|
| Synonyms | |
The Hodgens' Waterhen [1] (Gallinula hodgenorum) is an extinct rail species from New Zealand. Its name commedorates the Hodgen brothers who were owners of the Pyramid Valley swamp where the holotype was discovered.
The Hodgens' Waterhen was closely related to the Black-tailed Native-hen (Gallinula ventralis) and the Tasmanian Native-hen (Gallinula mortierii). The species was first described by Ron Scarlett as Rallus hodgeni in 1955. Storrs L. Olson transferred it into the genus Gallinula in 1975 and changed its specific epithet to hodgenorum in 1986. The Hodgens' Waterhen is only known from subfossil material of which the youngest Māori midden record is from the 18th century. Hundreds of bones unearthed at Pyramid Valley on South Island, at Lake Poukawa on North Island and several other sites indicating that it was once widespread in New Zealand except on the Chatham Islands. The Hodgens' Waterhen reached a weight of 280 g and its wings were so reduced that it was not able to fly. This waterhen occupied a white range of habitats like open forests or grassland on river shores. The main reasons for its extinction are possible the predation by the Pacific rat and the hunting by human settlers.