List of extinct animals of New Zealand

This is a list of extinct New Zealand animals.

1 Mammals
2 Birds
3 Reptiles
4 Amphibians
5 Fish
6 Insects
7 Molluscs
8 Rediscovered species
9 See also
10 References
11 External links

Mammals

Bats, and a recently discovered extinct mouse-sized creature, are the only land mammals known to have inhabited New Zealand until the arrival of humans. Fossil marine mammals have been found. New Zealand now has two surviving species of endemic bat.

Greater Short-tailed Bat, Mystacina robusta (1965) (Still billed as Critically Endangered by IUCN)
Waipatia maerewhenua (Dolphin, Oligocene age, about 23–34 million years ago)
SB mammal, thought to be neither therian nor australosphenidan

Birds

Extinctions since mid-19th century European settlement

Auckland Islands Merganser, Mergus australis
Chatham Islands Rail, Cabalus modestus
Dieffenbach's Rail, Gallirallus dieffenbachii
South Island Snipe, Coenocorypha iredalei
North Island Snipe, Coenocorypha barrierensis
New Zealand Quail, Coturnix novaezelandidae
North Island Takahe, Porphyrio mantelli
South Island Kokako, Callaeas cinerea cinerea (Believed extinct from the 1960s, but recent reports suggest a small population may still survive.)
Huia, Heteralocha acutirostris
South Island Piopio, Turnagra capensis
North Island Piopio, Turnagra tanagra
Chatham Islands Bellbird, Anthornis melanocephala
New Zealand Little Bittern, Ixobrychus novaezelandiae
Stephens Island Wren, Traversia lyalii
Bush Wren, Xenicus longipes
- South Island Bush Wren, Xenicus longipes longipes
- North Island Bush Wren, Xenicus longipes stokesi
- Stewart Island Bush Wren, Xenicus longipes variabilis
Chatham Islands Fernbird, Bowdleria rufescens
Laughing Owl, Sceloglaux albifacies
Chatham Islands Penguin, Eudyptes sp.

Extinctions since 14th century Māori settlement

North Island Adzebill, Aptornis otidiformis
South Island Adzebill, Aptornis defossor
Eyles' Harrier, Circus eylesi
Haast's Eagle, Harpagornis moorei
Giant Chatham Island Rail or Hawkins' Rail, Diaphorapteryx hawkinsi
Hodgen's Waterhen or Hodgen's Rail, Gallinula hodgenorum
Snipe-rail, Capellirallus karamu
Chatham Islands Coot, Fulica chathamensis
New Zealand Coot, Fulica prisca
Giant Chatham Island Snipe, Coenocorypha chathamica
New Zealand Owlet-nightjar, Aegotheles novaezealandiae
Grant-Mackie's Wren, Pachyplichas jagmi
Yaldwyn's Wren or Stout-legged Wren, Pachyplichas yaldwyni
Long-billed Wren, Dendroscansor decurvirostris
Chatham Islands Raven, Corvus moriorum
New Zealand Raven, Corvus antipodum
- North Island Raven, Corvus antipodum antipodum
- South Island Raven, Corvus antipodum pycrafti
New Zealand Musk Duck or De Lautour's Duck, Biziura delautouri
Chatham Islands Duck, Pachyanas chathamica
New Zealand Pink-eared Duck or Scarlett's Duck, Malacorhynchus scarletti
Finsch's Duck, Chenonetta finschi
North Island Goose, Cnemiornis gracilis
South Island Goose, Cnemiornis calcitrans
New Zealand Swan, Cygnus atratus sumnerensis
Scarlett's Shearwater, Puffinus spelaeus (600 BP)
Moa
- Bush Moa, Anomalopteryx didiformis
- Upland Moa, Megalapteryx didinus/benhami
- Heavy-footed Moa, Pachyornis elephantopus
- Crested Moa, Pachyornis australis
- Mappin's Moa, Pachyornis geranoides
- Stout-legged Moa, Euryapteryx gravis
- Coastal Moa, Euryapteryx curtus
- Eastern Moa, Emeus crassus
- North Island Giant Moa, Dinornis novaezealandiae
- Giant Moa, Dinornis robustus
Waitaha penguin, Megadyptes waitaha^[1]

Extinctions before human settlement

New Zealand Albatross, Manu antiquus
Narrow-flippered Penguin, Palaeeudyptes antarcticus
Marples' Penguin, Palaeeudyptes marplesi
New Zealand Giant Penguin, Pachydyptes ponderosus
Wide-flippered Penguin, Platydyptes novaezealandiae
Amies' Penguin, Platydyptes amiesi
Lowe's Penguin, Archaeospheniscus lowei
Lopdell's Penguin, Archaeospheniscus lopdelli
Duntroon Penguin, Duntroonornis parvus
Oliver's Penguin, Korora oliveri
Harris' Penguin, Marplesornis novaezealandiae
Moisley's Penguin, Tereingaornis moisleyi
Ridgen's Penguin, Aptenodytes ridgeni
Tyree's Penguin, Pygoscelis tyreei
Miocene False-toothed Pelican, Pelagornis miocaenus
Stirton's False-toothed Pelican, Pseudodontornis stirtoni
Miocene diving petrel, Pelecanoides miokuaka
Lake Manuherikia diving duck, Manuherikia lacustrina
Douglas' duck, Manuherikia douglasi
St Bathans shelduck, Miotadorna sactibathansi
Johnstone's duck, Dunstanetta johnstoneorum
Enright's duck, Matanas enrightii

Reptiles

Ankylosaur, unidentified (Cretaceous)
Compsognathus-like creature (Late Jurassic)
Hypsilophodont, unidentified (Cretaceous)
Joan Wiffen's Theropod, possibly Australovenator (Cretaceous)
Kawekaweau, Hoplodactylus delcourti (1870)
Narrow-bodied Skink, Oligosoma gracilicorpus
Northland Skink, Cyclodina northlandi (Late Holocene)
Theropod, unidentified (Cretaceous)
Titanosaur, possibly Diamantinasaurus (Cretaceous)

Plesiosaurs and other fossil marine reptiles, such as mosasaurs, have been known from New Zealand.

Mauisaurus, Mauisaurus haasti (Late Cretaceous, 65 million years ago)
Moanasaurus, Moanasaurus mangahouangae (Late Cretaceous)
Nothosaur, unidentified, (Triassic)
New Zealand Plesiosaur, Kaiwhekea katiki (Late Cretaceous, 69–70 million years ago)
Waipara mosasaur, Prognathodon waiparaensis (Late Cretaceous, 70 million years ago)

Amphibians

Aurora frog, Leiopelma auroraensis
Markham's frog, Leiopelma markhami
Waitomo frog, Leiopelma waitomoensis
Stereospondyl – [1]

Fish

New Zealand grayling, Prototroctes oxyrhynchus (1930s)
New Zealand white shark, Carcharodon angustidens (Late Oligocene, 26 M years)
Giant oprah, Megalampris keyesi (Late Oligocene, 26 M years)

Insects

Mecodema punctellum

Molluscs

Placostylus ambagiosus gardneri Land snail, Recent
Placostylus ambagiosus hinemoa Land snail, Recent
Placostylus ambagiosus lesleyae Land snail, Recent
Placostylus ambagiosus priscus Land snail, Recent
Placostylus ambagiosus spiritus Land snail, Recent
Placostylus ambagiosus worthyi Land snail, Recent

Rediscovered species

Karocolens tuberculatus, Canterbury knobbed weevil, Spaniard weevil or Banks Peninsula speargrass weevil (2005)
New Zealand Storm-petrel, Oceanites maorianus (2003)
South Island Takahe, Porphyrio hochstetteri (1948)
Kakapo, Strigops habroptila^[2] (1974) note: before 1974 there was only one aging male of the species known until new populations were discovered
Campbell Island Teal, Anas nesiotis (1975)
Campbell Island Snipe, Coenocorypha Campbell (1997)
Chatham Island Taiko, Pterodroma magentae (1978)

References

^ Fox, Rebecca (20 November 2008). "Ancient species of penguin found in DNA of bones". Otago Daily Times. http://www.odt.co.nz/on-campus/university-otago/32502/ancient-species-penguin-found-dna-bones. Retrieved 20 November 2008.
^ David, N. & Gosselin, M. 2002. The grammatical gender of avian genera. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club, 122: 257–282

Bell, B.D. 1994. A review of the status of New Zealand Leiopelma species (Anura: Leiopelmatidae), including a summary of demographic studies in Coromandel and on Maud Island. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, Vol. 21: 341–349.
Bunce, M., Worthy, T.H., Ford, T., Hoppitt, W., Willerslev, E., Drummond A., and Cooper, A. 2003. Extreme reversed sexual size dimorphism in the extinct New Zealand moa Dinornis. Nature, 425:172–175.
Cooper, A., Lalueza-Fox, C., Anderson, C., Rambaut, A., Austin, J., and Ward, R. 2001. Complete mitochondrial genome sequences of two extinct moas clarify ratite evolution. Nature 409:704–707.
Day, D., 1981, The Doomsday Book of Animals, Ebury Press, London.
Gill, B.; Martinson, P., (1991) New Zealand’s Extinct Birds, Random Century New Zealand Ltd.
Gill, B. J. 2003. Osteometry and systematics of the extinct New Zealand ravens (Aves: Corvidae: Corvus). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 1: 43–58.
Flannery, T., and Schouten, P., 2001, A Gap in Nature: Discovering the World's Extinct Animals, William Heinemann, London. ISBN 0-434-00819-2 (UK edition).
Fuller, E., 2001, Extinct Birds, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-253-34034-9 (UK Edition).
Holdaway, Richard N., Worthy, Trevor H. and Tennyson, Alan J. D. 2001. A working list of breeding bird species of the New Zealand region at first human contact, New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 28:119–187.
Huynen, L., Millar, C.D., Scofield, R.P., and Lambert, D.M. 2003. Nuclear DNA sequences detect species limits in ancient moa. Nature, 425:175–178.
Perkins, S. 2003. Three Species No Moa? Fossil DNA analysis yields surprise. Science News, 164:84.
Philip R. Millener & T. H. Worthy (1991). "Contribution to New Zealand's late Quaternary avifauna. II: Dendroscansor decurvirostris, a new genus and species of wren (Aves: Acantisittidae)." Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 21, 2: 179–200.
Philip R. Millener (1988). "Contributions to New Zealand's late Quaternary avifauna. I: Pachyplichas, a new genus of wren (Aves: Acanthisittidae), with two new species." Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 18:383–406
Wilson, K-J, (2004) Flight of the Huia, Canterbury University Press, Christchurch. ISBN 0-908812-52-3
World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. Hoplodactylus delcourti. In: IUCN 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 2 March 2006.
World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. Karocolens tuberculatus. In: IUCN 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 2 March 2006.
World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. Mecodema punctellum. In: IUCN 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 2 March 2006.
Worthy, T.H. 1998. The Quaternary fossil avifauna of Southland, South Island, New Zealand. Journal of The Royal Society of New Zealand. Volume 28, Number 4, pp 537–589.
Worthy, T.H., Holdaway R.N., 2002, The lost world of the Moa: Prehistoric Life of New Zealand, Indiana University Press, Bloomington. ISBN 0-253-34034-9.
Worthy, T.H., et al. 2006, Miocene mammal reveals a Mesozoic ghost lineage on insular New Zealand, southwest Pacific. 103 PNAS 19419-19423.