Aythya

Aythya
Common pochard (Aythya ferina)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Aythyinae
Genus:	Aythya F. Boie, 1822
Species
12 species, see text

Aythya is a genus of diving ducks. It has twelve described species. The name Aythya comes from the Ancient Greek word αυθυια, aithuia, which may have referred to a sea-dwelling duck or an auklet.^[1]

Aythya shihuibas was described from the Late Miocene of China. Zelenkov (2016) transferred the species Anas denesi Kessler (2013), known from the late Miocene of Hungary, to the genus Aythya.^[2] An undescribed prehistoric species is known only from Early Pleistocene fossil remains found at Dursunlu, Turkey;^[3] it might however be referrable to a paleosubspecies of an extant species considering its age (see also Greater scaup).

The Miocene "Aythya" arvernensis is now placed in Mionetta, while "Aythya" chauvirae seems to contain the remains of two species, at least one of which does not seem to be a diving duck.^[4]

Aythya species

• Canvasback (A. valisineria), least concern
• Common pochard (A. ferina), least concern
• Redhead (A. americana), least concern
• Ring-necked duck (A. collaris), least concern
• Hardhead (A. australis), least concern
• Baer's pochard (A. baeri), critically endangered
• Ferruginous duck (A. nyroca), near threatened
• Madagascar pochard (A. innotata), critically endangered
• New Zealand scaup (A. novaeseelandiae), least concern
• Tufted duck (A. fuligula), least concern
• Greater scaup (A. marila), least concern
• Lesser scaup (A. affinis), least concern

Phylogeny

Based on the Taxonomy in Flux from John Boyd's website.^[5]

(Nyroca) ?A. baeri (Radde 1863) (Baer's pochard) ?A. innotata (Salvadori 1894) (Madagascan pochard) A. nyroca (Güldenstädt 1769) (Ferruginous duck) A. australis (Eyton 1838) (Hardhead) (Aristonetta) A. americana (Eyton 1838) (Redhead) A. ferina (Linnaeus 1758) (Common pochard) A. valisineria (Wilson 1814) (Canvasback) (Aythya) A. affinis (Eyton 1838) (Lesser scaup) A. marila (Linnaeus 1761) (Greater scaup) ?A. novaeseelandiae (Gmelin 1789) (papango; New Zealand scaup) ?A. collaris (Donovan 1809) (Ring-necked duck) A. fuligula (Linnaeus 1758) (Tufted duck)

See also

• List of recently extinct birds
• Late Quaternary prehistoric birds
• List of fossil bird genera

• 

  Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)

• 

  Common pochard (Aythya ferina)

• 

  Redhead (Aythya americana)

• 

  Ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris)

• 

  Hardhead (Aythya australis)

• 

  Baer's pochard (Aythya baeri)

• 

  Ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca)

• 

  Madagascar pochard (Aythya innotata)

• 

  New Zealand scaup (Aythya novaeseelandiae)

• 

  Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula)

• 

  Greater scaup (Aythya marila)

• 

  Lesser scaup (Aythya affinis)

References

1. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 64. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
2. Nikita V. Zelenkov (2016). "РЕВИЗИЯ НЕВОРОБЬИНЫХ ПТИЦ ПОЛГАРДИ (ВЕНГРИЯ, ВЕРХНИЙ МИОЦЕН). 1. Anseriformes". Paleontological Journal. 50 (5).
3. Louchart, Antoine; Mourer-Chauviré, Cécile; Guleç, Erksin; Howell, Francis Clark & White, Tim D. (1998): L'avifaune de Dursunlu, Turquie, Pléistocène inférieur: climat, environnement et biogéographie. C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris IIA 327(5): 341-346. [French with English abridged version] doi:10.1016/S1251-8050(98)80053-0 (HTML abstract)
4. Worthy, Trevor H.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Jones, C.; McNamara, J.A. & Douglas, B.J. (2007): Miocene waterfowl and other birds from central Otago, New Zealand. J. Syst. Palaeontol. 5(1): 1-39. doi:10.1017/S1477201906001957 (HTML abstract)
5. Taxonomy in Flux Boyd, John (2007). "Aythyini" (PDF). Retrieved 30 August 2016.