The lesser moorhen (''Paragallinula angulata'') is a species of bird in the family
Rallidae
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small- to medium-sized, ground-living birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules. Many species are associated with wetlands, altho ...
. It is sometimes placed into the genus ''
Gallinula''. It is the only member of the genus ''Paragallinula''.
It is widely spread across
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding Southern Africa and Madagascar).
Taxonomy
The lesser moorhen was formerly placed in the genus ''
Gallinula,'' but a 2015 molecular genetic study demonstrated that ''Gallinula'' was composed of four distinct lineages. The genus was split into four genera: ''Gallinula (
sensu stricto
''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...
), Paragallinula,
Porphyriops,'' and ''
Tribonyx.''
''P. angulata'' is the only known species of ''Paragallinula'' which makes ''Paragallinula'' a
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...
genus.
The name paragallinula comes from the Greek ''para'' 'beside' and the genus ''Gallinula.'' It is named for its similarity with the members of ''Gallinula'', but it also indicates its unique genetic lineage.
Notes
Recorded in the Western Palearctic
[://www.birdguides.com/articles/lesser-moorhen-in-cape-verde-march-2019]://www.birdguides.com/articles/lesser-moorhen-in-cape-verde-march-2019
References
External links
* Lesser moorhen
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
lesser moorhen
Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa
lesser moorhen
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
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