穆氏象鸟属

穆氏象鸟属; 化石时期：第四纪 PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ▼
科学分类
界：	动物界 Animalia
门：	脊索动物门 Chordata
纲：	鸟纲 Aves
目：	†象鸟目 Aepyornithiformes
科：	†象鸟科 Aepyornithidae
属：	†穆氏象鸟属 Mullerornis; Milne-Edwards & Grandidier 1894
模式种
	Mullerornis betsilei; Milne-Edwards & Grandidier 1894
种
	小穆氏象鸟 M. modestus (Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1869) Hansford & Turvey 2018;
	马达加斯加，标记点为化石发现地点
异名
	Flacourtia Andrews 1895; Aepyornis modestus Milne-Edwards & Grandidier 1869; Mullerornis agilis Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1894; Mullerornis betsilei Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1894; Mullerornis rudis Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1894; Flacourtia rudis (Milne-Edwards & Grandidier 1894) Andrews 1895; ?Mullerornis grandis Lamberton 1934;

穆氏象鸟属（学名：Mullerornis），又称穆勒象鸟属，为生存于马达加斯加的象鸟之一，目前已灭绝。

分类学

穆氏象鸟属的学名源自于法国探险家乔治·穆勒，他在1892年时在马达加斯加遭到当地的萨卡拉瓦人杀害。

小穆氏象鸟的异名

Mullerornis betsilei Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1894^[2]（贝氏穆氏象鸟）
Mullerornis agilis Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1894（敏捷穆氏象鸟）
Mullerornis rudis Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, 1894^[1]（强壮穆氏象鸟）
?Mullerornis grandis Lamberton 1934（硕大穆氏象鸟，正模标本于1995年时在大火中遭烧毁）

描述

一对小穆氏象鸟的复原图

穆氏象鸟的体型较象鸟还来得小许多^[3]^[4]。一段可能属于穆氏象鸟的骨头经放射性碳定年法分析后，推估该个体约死于距今1,260年^[5]，这代表穆氏象鸟可能一直直到1千纪末才灭绝^[6]。2018年，翰斯福与特维认为小象鸟（Aepyornis modestus）其实是穆氏象鸟属所有物种的首异名，也因此原先属于穆氏象鸟属的所有物种均变为次异名，穆氏象鸟属下目前仅具有一有效种－小穆氏象鸟（Mullerornis modestus）^[7]。

古生物学

夜行性

与其他象鸟科物种及牠们现存的近亲鹬鸵一样，穆氏象鸟也是属于夜行性，但牠们的枕叶退化程度较其他演化支小，显示穆氏象鸟可能更偏向于黄昏时活动（英语：Crepuscular_animal）^[8]。

注记

^ ^1.0 ^1.1 Davies, S. J. J. F. (2003)
^ Julian P. Hume; Michael Walters. Extinct birds. T&AD Poyser. 2012: 544. ISBN 978-1408158616.
^ Burney, et al. (1997), p. 763
^ MacPhee, et al. (1985), table II
^ Burney, et al. (2004), p. 50
^ Burney et al. (2004), p. 25
^ Hansford, J. P.; Turvey, S. T. (2018-09-26). "Unexpected diversity within the extinct elephant birds (Aves: Aepyornithidae) and a new identity for the world's largest bird". Royal Society Open Science. 5 (9): 181295. doi:10.1098/rsos.181295.
^ Christopher R. Torres & Julia A. Clarke. 2018. Nocturnal giants: evolution of the sensory ecology in elephant birds and other palaeognaths inferred from digital brain reconstructions. Proc. R. Soc. B 285 (1890); doi: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1540

参考文献

Burney, David A.; James, Helen F.; Grady, Frederick V.; Rafamantanantsoa, Jean-Gervais; Ramilisonina; Wright, Henry T.; Cowart, James B. Environmental change, extinction and human activity: Evidence from caves in NW Madagascar (PDF). Journal of Biogeography. 1997, 24 (6): 755–767. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2699.1997.00146.x. hdl:2027.42/75139  .
Burney, David A.; Burney, Lida Pigott; Godfrey, Laurie R.; Jungers, William L.; Goodman, Steven M.; Wright, Henry T.; Jull, A. J. Timothy. A chronology for late prehistoric Madagascar. Journal of Human Evolution. 2004, 47 (1–2): 25–63. PMID 15288523. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2004.05.005.
Davies, S. J. J. F. Elephant birds. Hutchins, Michael (编). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins 2. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group: 103–104. 2003. ISBN 0-7876-5784-0.
MacPhee, R. D. E.; Burney, David A.; Wells, N. A. Early Holocene chronology and environment of Ampasambazimba, a Malagasy subfossil lemur site. International Journal of Primatology. 1985, 6 (5): 463–489. S2CID 44449535. doi:10.1007/BF02735571.

[Davies-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Davies, S. J. J. F. (2003)

[2] Julian P. Hume; Michael Walters. Extinct birds. T&AD Poyser. 2012: 544. ISBN 978-1408158616.

[3] Burney, et al. (1997), p. 763

[4] MacPhee, et al. (1985), table II

[5] Burney, et al. (2004), p. 50

[6] Burney et al. (2004), p. 25

[7] Hansford, J. P.; Turvey, S. T. (2018-09-26). "Unexpected diversity within the extinct elephant birds (Aves: Aepyornithidae) and a new identity for the world's largest bird". Royal Society Open Science. 5 (9): 181295. doi:10.1098/rsos.181295.

[8] Christopher R. Torres & Julia A. Clarke. 2018. Nocturnal giants: evolution of the sensory ecology in elephant birds and other palaeognaths inferred from digital brain reconstructions. Proc. R. Soc. B 285 (1890); doi: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1540

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