Broad-billed moa

The broad-billed moa, stout-legged moa,^[5][6] or coastal moa (Euryapteryx curtus) is an extinct species of moa that was endemic to New Zealand.

Broad-billed moa Temporal range: Pleistocene-Holocene
Skull
Conservation status
Extinct (NZ TCS)[1][2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Infraclass:	Palaeognathae
Order:	†Dinornithiformes
Family:	†Emeidae
Genus:	†Euryapteryx Haast, 1874
Species:	†E. curtus
Binomial name
†Euryapteryx curtus (Owen, 1846)[3][4]
Synonyms
List Cela Reichenbach 1853 non Moehring 1758 Celeus Bonaparte 1856 non Boie 1831 Zelornis Oliver 1949 Dinornis curtus Owen, 1846 Cela curtus (Owen 1846) Reichenbach, 1850 Celeus curtus (Owen 1846) Bonaparte, 1865 Anomalopteryx curta (Owen 1846) Lydekker 1891 Euryapteryx curtus (Owen 1846) Archey 1941 Mesopteryx species α Parker 1895 Euryapteryx exilis Hutton, 1897 Zelornis exilis (Hutton 1897) Oliver 1949 Euryapteryx tane Oliver 1949 Dinornis gravis Owen, 1870 Pachyornis gravis (Owen 1870) Euryapteryx pygmaeus Hutton 1891 non Pachyornis pygmaeus Hutton 1895 Emeus gravipes Lydekker, 1891 Euryapteryx gravipes (Lydekker 1891) Oliver 1930 Euryapteryx compacta Hutton 1893 Emeus crassus Parker 1895 non (Owen 1846) Reichenbach 1853 Euryapteryx ponderosa Hamilton 1898 non Hutton 1891 Emeus boothi Rothschild 1907 Emeus haasti Rothschild 1907 non Palaeocasuarius haasti Rothschild 1907 Zelornis haasti (Rothschild 1907) Oliver 1949 Euryapteryx haasti (Rothschild 1907) Emeus parkeri Rothschild 1907 Euryapteryx kuranui Oliver 1930 Euryapteryx geranoides Checklist Committee 1990 non Palapteryx geranoides

Taxonomy

Euryapteryx curtus is a ratite and a member of the lesser moa family. The ratites are flightless birds with a sternum without a keel. They also have a distinctive palate.^[7]

A 2009 genetic study showed that the species Euryapteryx gravis is a junior synonym of E. curtus.^[8] Following this, a study published in 2010 explained size differences among the remains as being a result of sexual dimorphism.^[9] A 2012 morphological study interpreted them as subspecies instead.^[10] E. c. curtus, the nominate subspecies, was labeled the "coastal moa",^[1] while E. c. gravis was the "stout-legged moa".^[2]

The cladogram below follows a 2009 analysis by Bunce et al.:^[11]

Dinornithiformes	Megalapteryidae Megalapteryx didinus Dinornithidae Dinornis D. robustus D. novaezealandiae Emeidae Pachyornis P. australis P. elephantopus P. geranoides Anomalopteryx didiformis Emeus crassus Euryapteryx curtus

Habitat and distribution

Life restoration

Euryapteryx curtus was one of the most widespreas moa species, inhabiting mostly open areas.^[6] These moa lived on both the North and the South Islands of New Zealand, and remains have also been recovered from nearby Stewart Island. It inhabited lowland environments like duneland, forest, shrubland, and grassland.^[7]

Behaviour and ecology

As of 2006, half of all complete or mostly complete moa eggs in museum collections are likely broad-billed moa specimens.^[12] Of the specimens traditionally given the name Euryapteryx gravis, the eggs have an average length of 205 mm (8.1 in) and width of 143 mm (5.6 in), while the group traditionally assigned to the name Euryapteryx curtus had an average length of 122 mm (4.8 in) and width of 94 mm (3.7 in).^[12]

The species presumably went extinct for the same reasons as proposed for other moa: overhunting by the Māori (who called them "moa hakahaka") after their arrival on the islands in the 14th century.^[2]