Taphophoyx
{{Short description|Extinct genus of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| genus = Taphophoyx
| parent_authority = Steadman & Takano, 2019
| species = hodgei
| authority = Steadman & Takano, 2019
}}
Taphophoyx is an extinct genus of herons in the family Ardeidae. There is only one known species, Taphophoyx hodgei.{{cite web |last1=Narducci |first1=Rachel |year=2019 |website=Florida Museum of Natural History |url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/montbrook/blog/new-heron-taphophoyx-hodgei/ |title=New heron Taphophoyx hodgei |access-date=16 November 2024}}
Habitat
Taphophoyx hodgei is believed to have lived in wetlands, like the great blue heron does today.{{cite web |last1=Gillis |first1=Chad |year=2019 |website=The News-Press |url=https://eu.news-press.com/story/news/2019/05/17/ancient-heron-species-discovered-north-florida/3704872002/ |title=Ancient heron species discovered North Florida |access-date=16 November 2024}}
Discovery
T. hodgei was discovered in November 2017 in Montbrook Fossil Site, Florida by volunteers Toni-Ann Benjamin and Sharon Shears. On November 9th, 2017, a complete left coracoid was excavated, and a week later, a complete left scapula, two bones that have significant roles in flight.{{cite web |last1=Narducci |first1=Rachel |website=myFOSSIL |url=https://www.myfossil.org/featured-fossil-new-heron-described-from-the-montbrook-fossil-site-in-levy-county-florida/ |title=Featured Fossil heron species discovered North Florida |access-date=16 November 2024}} Taphophoyx is said to have been the first new taxon to have been discovered at Montbrook Site.{{cite web |last1=Dasgupta |first1=Shreya |year=2019 |website=Mongabay |url=https://news.mongabay.com/2019/05/volunteers-find-bones-of-new-species-of-extinct-heron-at-florida-fossil-site/ |title=Volunteers find bones of New heron species in Florida |access-date=16 November 2024}}
Etymology
The name Taphophoyx means "Buried heron" in Greek and Latin, and hodgei is in honor of the landowner of Montbrook, Eddie Hodge, of whom also gives the common name for this species, "Hodge's tiger heron".{{cite web |last1=Marchese |first1=Halle |year=2019 |website=Phys.org |url=https://phys.org/news/2019-05-museum-volunteers-species-extinct-heron.html |title=Museum volunteer species extinct heron |access-date=16 November 2024}}
Phylogenetics
The phylogenetic affinities of T. hodgei are not well resolved, but there is proof that the tiger herons and the boat-billed heron are the closest relatives of Taphophoyx, mainly evident on the faces articularis.{{cite journal |last1=Steadman |first1=David |last2=Takano |first2=Oona |journal=Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History |url=https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10094084-new-genus-species-heron-aves-ardeidae-from-late-miocene-florida |title=A new genus and species of heron (Aves: Ardeidae) from the late Miocene of Florida |date=April 2019 |volume=55 |issue=9 |pages=174–186 |doi=10.58782/flmnh.qskt9951 |issn=2373-9991}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Pelecaniformes genera|A.|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q130719214|from2=Q130719202}}
Category:Extinct birds of North America