Not Recognised
List of 'extinct' animal species and subspecies that are not recognised as valid anymore
Previously many more animal species and subspecies were regarded as extinct. A couple of centuries ago a naturalist could gain fame by naming a new species or subspecies. Naturalists were running all over the place trying to name new species and subspecies. The result of this was that they named a subspecies on very little differences within a species or named a species on little or doubtful information. Nowadays new research, especially DNA research, reveals that many of those so-called species and subspecies are not distinct from other subspecies or species. They are not regarded as a valid species or subspecies anymore! This page will show you some of those former recognised extinct species or subspecies. Do you know of taxonomic information that will change the status of a certain animal mentioned on The Extinction Website? Contact this website.
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Mammals (16) |
Birds (8) |
Reptiles (0) |
Amphibians (0) |
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Fish (0) |
Molluscs (1) |
Insects (0) |
Arachnids (0) |
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Crustaceans (0) |
Velvet Worms (0) |
Flatworms (0) |
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Segmented Worms (0) |
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| Mammals (Mammalia) | Total Number: 16 | |||
| Unrecognised Scientific Name | Common Name | Recognised Scientific Name | TEW Status | IUCN Status |
| Bettongia lesueur graii | Burrowing Bettong | Bettongia lesueur | NR | Not Listed |
| Canis lupus deitanus | Spanish Wolf | Canis lupus signatus | NR | Not Listed |
| Canis lupus deitanus is a 'nomen dubium', thus its classification is not certain. This subspecies was described in 1907 by Ángel Cabrera, a Spanish naturalist, after captive wolves in Murcia, Spain. They are never seen in the wild. After their description by Cabrera, nobody had spoken about these wolves, and most likely they were bizarre Iberian wolves (Canis lupus signatus) due to life in captivity. | ||||
| Lagostrophus fasciatus albipilis | Banded Hare-Wallaby | Lagostrophus fasciatus fasciatus | NR | Not Listed |
| Lynx lynx alpina | Italian Lynx | Lynx lynx lynx / L. l. sardiniae | NR | Not Listed |
| Oryzomys galapagoensis galapagoensis | Chatham Island Rice Rat | Oryzomys galapagoensis | NR | Not Listed |
| Ovis canadensis auduboni | Audubon Bighorn Sheep | Ovis canadensis canadensis | NR | Not Listed |
| Panthera leo europaea | European Lion | Panthera leo persica | NR | Not Listed |
| Perameles bougainville fasciata | Western Barred Bandicoot | Perameles bougainville | NR | Not Listed |
| Peromyscus gossypinus restrictus | Chadwick Beach Cotton Mouse | Peromyscus gossypinus | NR | Not Listed |
| Peromyscus polionotus decoloratus | Ponce de Leon Beach Mouse | Peromyscus polionotus | NR | Not Listed |
| Sigmodon arizonae arizonae | Arizona Cotton Rat | Sigmodon arizonae | NR | Not Listed |
| Sigmodon fulviventer goldmani | Hot Springs Cotton Rat | Sigmodon fulviventer | NR | Not Listed |
| Sphiggurus pallidus | Pallid Hairy Dwarf Porcupine | Sphiggurus insidiosus | NR | Not Listed |
| Synaptomys cooperi paludis | Kansas Bog Lemming | Synaptomys cooperi | NR | Not Listed |
| Synaptomys cooperi relictus | Nebraska Bog Lemming | Synaptomys cooperi | NR | Not Listed |
| Ursus arctos nelsoni | Mexican Grizzly Bear | Ursus arctos horribilis | NR | Not Listed |
| Birds (Aves) | Total Number: 8 | |||
| Unrecognised Scientific Name | Common Name |
Recognised Scientific Name |
TEW Status | IUCN Status |
| Aramides gutturalis | Red-Throated Wood-Rail | Aramides cajanea | NR | EX |
| The Red-throated Wood-rail (Aramides gutteralis) was described by Sharpe in 1894 based on a unique type, supposedly collected before 1843 in Lima, Peru, and now in Tring (Knox and Walters 1994; BirdLife International 2008; IUCN 2008). It was recognised as a extinct species by BirdLife and still listed as such on the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. However, it is now considered to be a badly prepared specimen of the Grey-necked Wood-rail, Aramides cajanea (Meyer de Schauensee 1966, Taylor 1996). The BirdLife Taxonomic Working Group inspected the type specimen and concluded that this taxon does not merit species status; it is now treated as not recognised in line with SACC (2006). This species will therefore be removed from the 2009 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (Globally Threatened Bird Forums, 2009) | ||||
| Cinclus cinclus olympicus | Cyprus Dipper |
possibly C. c. caucasicus |
NR | Not Listed |
| The Cyprus Dipper was last observed ca. 1950 on Cyprus. It was endemic to Cyprus and it was an insectivorous bird. It was a stream wader in the montane forests of the island. This subspecies disappeared after deforestation. However, it seems that this subspecies is not recognized as valid anymore. Its validity has long been questioned, and DNA sequence comparison of Aegean/Eastern Mediterranean island populations of dippers shows that they are indistinguishable from adjacent mainland populations. Thus, it seems probable that the Cyprus population too had immigrated from Asia Minor rather recently and not evolved to the point where it could be considered a separate subspecies. (Wikipedia contributors, 2008) | ||||
| Cygnus sumnerensis | New Zealand Swan |
Cygnus atratus |
NR | Not Listed |
| The New Zealand Swan was previously recognised as an extinct swan from the Chatham Islands and the South Island of New Zealand. It was originally described as a separate species (Cygnus sumnerensis) from the Australian Swan (Cygnus atratus) based on the slightly larger size of the fossil bones found and the apparent absence of the Black Swan from New Zealand prior to 1864. More recent analysis of these fossils, and others, suggested that the New Zealand Swan was a subspecies of the Black Swan (Cygnus atratus sumnerensis). The assumption that the fossil bones were larger than recent bones has been tested. The results showed that no significant differences in form were apparent. The fossil bones of swan in mainland New Zealand are now referred to the Australian Swan. The swan remains found in the Chatham Islands may constitute a separate species, Cygnus chathamensis (Oliver, 1955), but more work is needed to establish this. (Wikipedia contributors, 2006; Worthy & Holdaway, 2002) | ||||
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Gallirallus sharpei |
Sharpe's Rail |
Gallirallus philippensis |
NR | DD |
| Sharpe’s Rail (Gallirallus sharpei) was previously recognised by BirdLife and still is on the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. However, R. W. R. J. Dekker in litt. (2008) has provided information that this taxon is best treated as a colour morph of Gallirallus philippensis, the Buff-banded Rail. This treatment has now been adopted by the BirdLife Taxonomic Working Group. Sharpe’s Rail will therefore be dropped from the 2009 IUCN Red List. (Globally Threatened Bird Forums, 2008) | ||||
| Haliaeetus australis | Chatham Island Sea-eagle |
None |
NR | Not Listed |
| The Chatham Island Sea-eagle (Haliaeetus australis) was described from Chatham Island by Harrison and Walker in 1973. However now it is known that this species never existed, it has proved to be a mis-labelled North American Bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus. (Worthy and Holdaway, 2002) | ||||
| Laniarius liberatus | Bulo Burti Boubou | Laniarius erlangeri | NR | CR |
| The Bulo Burti Boubou (Laniarius liberatus) was described on the basis of blood and feather samples from a single live individual first observed in August 1988 in the grounds of a hospital at Bulo Burti (Buulobarde), 140 km inland on the Shabeelle river in central Somalia. It was netted in January 1989 and, after 14 months in captivity and because believed to be a highly threatened species, was released as near as possible to its site of capture, in March 1990. It has never been seen again. In 2008, molecular sequence data identified this taxon as an unusual colour morph from Laniarius erlangeri, the Somali Boubou. This treatment has now been adopted by the BirdLife Taxonomic Working Group. Bulo Burti Boubou will therefore be dropped from the 2009 IUCN Red List. (BirdLife International 2008; Nguembock et al. 2008; Globally Threatened Bird Forums, 2009) | ||||
| Pelecanus novaezealandiae | New Zealand Pelican |
Pelecanus conspicillatus |
NR | Not Listed |
| The New Zealand Pelican is the name given to fossil remains of pelicans found in fossil deposits in New Zealand. These fossils were first found in 1930, and were initially considered a subspecies (Pelecanus conspicillatus novaezealandidiae) of the Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus), based on size differences. It was raised by some taxonomists to a full species in 1981 (Pelecanus novaezealandiae), however the paucity of pelican remains in an otherwise rich fossil record lead most scientists to conclude that it represents examples of vagrant (lost) Australian Pelicans. It has also been observed that New Zealand lacks the fish diversity and numbers to sustain a large fish-eating waterbird. In some migration events Australian Pelicans have been recorded as far away as Fiji, and have been seen in New Zealand. (Wikipedia contributors, 2006; Worthy & Holdaway, 2002) | ||||
| Raphus solitarius | Réunion Solitaire | NR | Not Listed | |
| Reptiles (Reptilia) | Total Number: 0 | |||
| Unrecognised Scientific Name | Common Name | Recognised Scientific Name | TEW Status | IUCN Status |
| None | None |
None |
- | - |
| Amphibians (Amphibia) | Total Number: 0 | |||
| Unrecognised Scientific Name | Common Name | Recognised Scientific Name | TEW Status | IUCN Status |
| None | None |
None |
- | - |
| Fish (Actinopterygii & Cephalaspidomorphi) | Total Number: 0 | |||
| Unrecognised Scientific Name | Common Name | Recognised Scientific Name | TEW Status | IUCN Status |
| None | None |
None |
- | - |
| Molluscs (Molusca) | Total Number: 1 | |||
| Unrecognised Scientific Name | Common Name | Recognised Scientific Name | TEW Status | IUCN Status |
| Bythinella intermedia | Unknown |
Bythinella austriaca austriaca |
NR | EX |
| Insects (Insecta) | Total Number: 0 | |||
| Unrecognised Scientific Name | Common Name | Recognised Scientific Name | TEW Status | IUCN Status |
| None | None |
None |
- | - |
| Arachnids (Arachnida) | Total Number: 0 | |||
| Unrecognised Scientific Name | Common Name | Recognised Scientific Name | TEW Status | IUCN Status |
| None | None |
None |
- | - |
| Crustaceans (Crustacea) | Total Number: 0 | |||
| Unrecognised Scientific Name | Common Name | Recognised Scientific Name | TEW Status | IUCN Status |
| None | None |
None |
- | - |
| Sea Anemones and Corals (Anthozoa) | Total Number: 0 | |||
| Unrecognised Scientific Name | Common Name | Recognised Scientific Name | TEW Status | IUCN Status |
| None | None |
None |
- | - |
| Velvet Worms (Onychophora) | Total Number: 0 | |||
| Unrecognised Scientific Name | Common Name | Recognised Scientific Name | TEW Status | IUCN Status |
| None | None |
None |
- | - |
| Flatworms (Platyhelminthes) | Total Number: 0 | |||
| Unrecognised Scientific Name | Common Name | Recognised Scientific Name | TEW Status | IUCN Status |
| None | None |
None |
- | - |
| Segmented Worms (Annelida) | Total Number: 0 | |||
| Unrecognised Scientific Name | Common Name | Recognised Scientific Name | TEW Status | IUCN Status |
| None | None |
None |
- | - |
This page was last updated on 29 December 2008.