Aves - Galliformes - Megapodiidae
Full reference: D. W. Steadman. 1989. New species and records of birds (Aves: Megapodiidae, Columbidae) from an archeological site on Lifuka, Tonga. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 102:537-552
Belongs to Megapodius according to T. H. Worthy 2000
See also Steadman 1989, Steadman 1993 and Worthy and Burley 2019
Sister taxa: Megapodius amissus, Megapodius bernsteinii, Megapodius cumingii, Megapodius decollatus, Megapodius eremita, Megapodius freycinet, Megapodius geelvinkianus, Megapodius laperouse, Megapodius layardi, Megapodius molistructor, Megapodius nicobariensis, Megapodius pritchardii, Megapodius reinwardt, Megapodius tenimberensis
Type specimen: BPBM 165686, a set of limb elements (distal end of tibiotarsus). Its type locality is Tongoleleka site, layer IV, Lifuka, which is in a Holocene terrestrial horizon in Tonga.
Ecology: volant herbivore
Distribution:
• Quaternary of Fiji (5 collections), Tonga (10)
Total: 15 collections each including a single occurrence
Specimen images are retrieved through the ePANDDA API.
Click image to enlarge. Click to access iDigBio record.