The takahe is an example of a Lazarus taxon.

In paleontology, a Lazarus taxon (plural taxa) is a taxon that disappears from one or more periods of the fossil record, only to appear again later. The term refers to the New Testament story of Lazarus, whom Jesus miraculously raised from the dead. Lazarus taxa are observational artifacts that appear to occur either because of (local) extinction, later resupplied, or as a sampling artifact. If the extinction is conclusively found to be total (global or worldwide) and the supplanting species is not a lookalike (an Elvis species), the observational artifact is overcome. The fossil record is inherently imperfect and contains gaps not necessarily caused by extinction, particularly when the number of individuals in a taxon becomes very low. If these gaps are filled by new fossil discoveries, a taxon will no longer be classified as a Lazarus taxon. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (977x755, 130 KB)Takahe and chick on Kapiti Island in New Zealand. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (977x755, 130 KB)Takahe and chick on Kapiti Island in New Zealand. ... Binomial name Porphyrio mantelli Owen, 1848 The Takahē, Porphyrio mantelli is a flightless bird native to New Zealand which belongs to the rail family. ... Paleontology or palaeontology (see Spelling differences) is the study of the history and development of life on Earth, including that of ancient plants and animals, based on the fossil record (evidence of their prehistoric existence as typically preserved in sedimentary rocks). ... A taxon (plural taxa), or taxonomic unit, is a grouping of organisms (named or unnamed). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Fossil. ... John 21:1 Jesus Appears to His Disciples--Alessandro Mantovani: the Vatican, Rome. ... Resurrection of Lazarus by Juan de Flandes, around 1500 For other uses, see Lazarus (disambiguation). ... Jesus (8–2 BC/BCE to 29–36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity. ... This page is about artifacts in science. ... The Dodo, shown here in illustration, is an often-cited[1] example of extinction. ... Sampling is that part of statistical practice concerned with the selection of individual observations intended to yield some knowledge about a population of concern, especially for the purposes of statistical inference. ... In paleontology, an Elvis taxon (plural taxa) is a taxon which has been misidentified as having re-emerged in the fossil record after a period of extinction, but is not actually a descendant of the original taxon, instead having developed a similar morphology through convergent evolution. ... An ammonite fossil Eocene fossil fish of the genus Knightia Petrified wood fossil formed through permineralization. ...

The terms "Lazarus effect" or "Lazarus species" have also found some acceptance in neontology — the study of extant organisms, as contrasted with paleontology — as an organism that is rediscovered alive after having been widely considered extinct for years (a recurring IUCN Red List species for example). Examples include the Wollemi pine, the Jerdon's courser, the ivory-billed woodpecker, the Mahogany Glider and the takahe, a flightless bird endemic to New Zealand. It should be noted, however, that being "extinct" strongly relates to the sampling intensity and the whims of the IUCN, and that such a period of apparent extinction is too short for species to be designated as "Lazarus taxa" (in its paleontological meaning). Neontology is the part of biology which – in contrast to paleontology – deals with now living (recent) organisms. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. ... Binomial name Wollemia nobilis The Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) is a remarkable coniferous tree that was discovered in 1994 in a remote series of narrow, steep-sided sandstone gorges in a mild temperate-zone rainforest wilderness area of the Wollemi National Park in New South Wales, 150 kilometers north-west... Binomial name Rhinoptilus bitorquatus Blyth, 1848 The Jerdons Courser, Rhinoptilus bitorquatus, is a wader in the pratincole and courser family, Glareolidae. ... Binomial name Campephilus principalis (Linnaeus, 1758) The Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) is a very large and extremely rare or extinct member of the woodpecker family, Picidae. ... Binomial name Petaurus gracilis (de Vis, 1883) The Mahogany Glider (Petaurus gracilis), which is named for its mahogany-brown colour, is a highly endangered possum, very similar in appearance to both the smaller sized Sugar Glider and Squirrel Glider. ... Binomial name Porphyrio mantelli Owen, 1848 The TakahÄ“, Porphyrio mantelli is a flightless bird native to New Zealand which belongs to the rail family. ... In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or introduced. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

Lazarus taxa that reappear in nature after being known only as old enough fossils can be seen as an informal subcategory of the journalist's "living fossils", because a taxon cannot become globally extinct and reappear. If the original taxon went globally extinct, the new taxon must be an Elvis taxon. On the other hand, all species "correctly considered living fossils" (with all conditions fulfilled, living and found through a considerable part of the geologic timescale) cannot be Lazarus taxa. Living fossil is a term for any living species (or clade) of organism which closely resembles species otherwise only known from fossils and has no close living relatives. ... In paleontology, an Elvis taxon (plural taxa) is a taxon which has been misidentified as having re-emerged in the fossil record after a period of extinction, but is not actually a descendant of the original taxon, instead having developed a similar morphology through convergent evolution. ...

Reappearing species

Reappearing IUCN red list species

• Madeiran land snail (Discus guerinianus) — Thought extinct in 1996 but found again in 1999.
• Fernandina rice rat (Nesoryzomys fernandinae) — Thought extinct in 1996 (last seen 1980) but found again in late 1990s.
• Ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) — Thought extinct in 1944 before an unconfirmed sighting in 1999, and possible rediscovery in 2005 (though disputed).
• Lord Howe Island stick insect (Dryococelus australis).
• Bavarian pine vole (Microtus bavaricus).
• Mount Diablo buckwheat (Eriogonom truncatum) — Thought extinct around 1935 but found again in 2005.
• Jerdon's Courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus) — A wader from India, assumed extinct until 1986.
• Madagascar serpent-eagle (Eutriorchis astur).
• Grand Comoro scops-owl (Otus pauliani).
• Furbish's lousewort (Pedicularis furbishiae).
• Takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri) — Assumed extinct in 1898 but found again in 1948.
• New Zealand storm-petrel — Believed extinct from 1850 but sighted again in 2003.
• Painted frog (Atelopus ebenoides marinkellei) Believed extinct 1995, rediscovered in 2006.
• Forest Owlet (Heteroglaux blewitti) — Assumed extinct in the 19th century, but rediscovered in central India in 1997.
• Woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus)
• Gilbert's Potoroo (Potorous gilbertii), extremely rare Australian mammal presumed extinct from 1800s until 1994.
• Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis), extremely rare Australian bird presumed extinct from 1880s until 1990.
• New Holland Mouse (Pseudomys novaehollandiae) was first described by George Waterhouse in 1843, it vanished from view for over a century before its rediscovery in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park north of Sydney, in 1967.
• Tammar Wallaby (Macropus eugenii eugenii), this Australian subspecies was presumed extinct from 1925 until genetically matched with imported species in New Zealand in 1998.
• Edwards's Pheasant (Lophura edwardii), a Vietnamese pheasant presumed extinct from 1928 was rediscovered in 1998.
• Cuban Solenodon (Atopogale cubanus), thought to have been extinct until a live specimen was found in 2003.
• Giant Palouse earthworm (Driloleirus americanus); thought extinct in 1980s, but found again in 2006.

Binomial name Campephilus principalis (Linnaeus, 1758) The Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) is a very large and extremely rare or extinct member of the woodpecker family, Picidae. ... Binomial name Dryococelus australis (Montrouzier, 1885) The Lord Howe Island stick insect was thought to be extinct by 1930, only to be rediscovered in 2001, this phenomenon is also known as the Lazarus effect. ... Binomial name Microtus bavaricus (König, 1962) The Bavarian pine vole (Microtus bavaricus) is a vole from the Austrian, Italian and Bavarian Alps of Europe. ... Binomial name Eriogonum truncatum (Torr) A. Gray Mount Diablo buckwheat (Eriogonum truncatum) is a small pink flower, believed to have been extinct since its last sighting in 1936. ... Binomial name Rhinoptilus bitorquatus Blyth, 1848 The Jerdons Courser, Rhinoptilus bitorquatus, is a wader in the pratincole and courser family, Glareolidae. ... Families Scolopacidae Rostratulidae Jacanidae Thinocoridae Pedionomidae Burhinidae Chionididae Pluvianellidae Ibidorhynchidae Recurvirostridae Haematopodidae Charadriidae Dunlin (Calidris alpina). ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Binomial name Porphyrio mantelli Owen, 1848 The Takahē, Porphyrio mantelli is a flightless bird native to New Zealand which belongs to the rail family. ... Binomial name Oceanites maorianus (Mathews,, 1912) The New Zealand Storm-petrel, Oceanites maorianus, is a small seabird of the tubenose family. ... Binomial name Atelopus ebenoides Rivero, (1963) The painted frog (Atelopus ebenoides), a species of true toad, lives only in Colombia. ... Binomial name Athene blewitti (Hume, 1873) Synonyms Heteroglaux blewitti The Forest Owlet (Athene blewitti) is an owl which breeds in central India. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Binomial name Eupetaurus cinereus Thomas, 1888 The Woolly Flying Squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus) is the sole species placed in the genus Eupetaurus. ... Binomial name Potorous gilbertii Gould, 1841 Gilberts Potoroo (Potorous gilbertii) is an Australian marsupial that is critically endangered. ... Binomial name Geopsittacus occidentalis Gould, 1861 Synonyms Pezoporus occidentalis The Night Parrot (Geopsittacus occidentalis), the only member of its genus, is a small broad-tailed parrot endemic to Australia. ... Binomial name Macropus eugenii The Tammar Wallaby (Macropus eugenii) is a small member of the kangaroo family and is the type species for research on kangaroos and marsupials. ... Binomial name Lophura edwardsi (Oustalet, 1896) The Edwardss Pheasant, Lophura edwardsi, is a bird from the pheasant family Phasianidae that is endemic to the rainforests of Vietnam. ... Genera Ithaginis Catreus Rheinartia Crossoptilon Lophura Argusianus Pucrasia Syrmaticus Chrysolophus Phasianus † See also partridge, quail Pheasants are a group of large birds in the order Galliformes. ... Binomial name Atopogale cubana (Peters, 1861) The Cuban Solenodon (known as the Almiqui in Cuba) (Atopogale cubana, Solenodon cubanus) is an insectivore native to Cuba. ... Binomial name Driloleirus americanus Smith, 1897 The giant Palouse earthworm or Washington giant earthworm (Driloleirus americanus, meaning lily-like worm[2]) is a species of earthworm belonging to the genus Driloleirus found in the Palouse region of Eastern Washington state as well as parts of Idaho in the United States. ...

Reappearing fossil taxa

Coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae.

• Coelacanth (Latimeria), a member of a clade (Coelacanthimorpha) thought to have gone extinct 80 million years ago; found in 1938.
• Laotian Rock Rat (Laonastes aenigmamus), a member of a clade (Diatomyidae) thought to have gone extinct 11 million years ago; found in 1996.
• Monito del Monte (Dromiciops), a member of a clade (Microbiotheria) thought to have gone extinct 11 million years ago.
• Lazarussuchus, an Oligocene member of a clade of freshwater reptiles (Choristodera) thought to have gone extinct at the end of the Mesozoic. As Lazarussuchus is thought to be outside the clade including other choristoderans, it may indicate a ghost lineage going back to the Late Triassic, a span of over 170 million years.
• Gracilidris, a genus of dolichoderine ants thought to have gone extinct 15-20 million years ago was found in Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina and described in 2006.

Image File history File links Species  Latimeria chalumnae Family  Latimeriidae File links The following pages link to this file: Coelacanth ... Image File history File links Species  Latimeria chalumnae Family  Latimeriidae File links The following pages link to this file: Coelacanth ... Families See text. ... Families See text. ... A clade is a term belonging to the discipline of cladistics. ... Species Latimeria chalumnae Latimeria menadoensis Coelacanths (pronounced SEE-le-canth, meaning hollow spine in Greek) are lobe_finned fish with the pectoral and anal fins on fleshy stalks supported by bones, and the tail fin divided into three lobes, the middle one of which also has a stalk. ... Binomial name Laonastes aenigmamus Jenkins, Kilpatrick, Robinson, Timmins, 2005 The Laotian rock rat or kha-nyou (Laonastes aenigmamus), sometimes called the rat-squirrel, is a rodent species of the Khammouan region of Laos. ... A clade is a term belonging to the discipline of cladistics. ... Genera Laonastes †Diatomys †Fallomus †Willmus Diatomyidae is a family of hystricomorphous, sciurognathous rodents found in Asia. ... Binomial name Dromiciops gliroides Thomas, 1894 Synonyms Dromiciops australis The Monito del Monte (little mountain monkey, Dromiciops gliroides) is a semi-arboreal South American marsupial which is thought to be more closely related to the marsupials of Australasia than to those of the Americas. ... A clade is a term belonging to the discipline of cladistics. ... Binomial name Dromiciops australis Thomas, 1894 The Monito del Monte (little mountain monkey, Dromiciops australis) is a semi-arboreal South American marsupial which is thought to be more closely related to the marsupials of Australasia than to those of the Americas. ... The Oligocene epoch is a geologic period of time that extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present. ... A clade is a term belonging to the discipline of cladistics. ... Orders  Crocodilia - Crocodilians scary crocodiles. ... Groups Cteniogenidae Simoedosauridae Champsosauridae Choristodera is an order of semi-aquatic diapsid reptiles which ranged from the Middle Jurassic, or possibly Late Triassic, to upper Eocene, or upper Oligocene. ... The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. ... A clade is a term belonging to the discipline of cladistics. ... Groups Cteniogenidae Simoedosauridae Champsosauridae Choristodera is an order of semi-aquatic diapsid reptiles which ranged from the Middle Jurassic, or possibly Late Triassic, to upper Eocene, or upper Oligocene. ... The Late Triassic (also known as Upper Triassic, or Keuper) is the third and final of three epochs of the Triassic period. ... Genera Amyrmex Anillidris Anonychomyrma Axinidris Azteca Bothriomyrmex Doleromyrma Dolichoderus Dorymyrmex Ecphorella Forelius Froggattella Iridomyrmex Leptomyrmex Linepithema Liometopum Loweriella Ochetellus Papyrius Philidris Tapinoma Technomyrmex Turneria Dolichoderinae is a subfamily of ants, which includes species such as the Erratic Ant. ... Subfamilies Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Aneuretinae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dolichoderinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicinae Leptanillinae Leptanilloidinae Myrmeciinae Myrmicinae Nothomyrmeciinae Ponerinae Proceratiinae Pseudomyrmecinae Ants are social insects that belong to the same order as the wasps and bees. ...

Other Notable Biota

This is a list of plants and animals that may not qualify as a Lazarus taxon or a living fossil, but are noteworthy due to retaining most of their features from the distant past or being a rather isolated representative of a limited branch of evolution. Living fossil is a term for any living species (or clade) of organism which closely resembles species otherwise only known from fossils and has no close living relatives. ...

• Sturgeon
• Shark
• Scorpion
• Nautilus
• Velvet worm

To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Orders Carcharhiniformes Heterodontiformes Hexanchiformes Lamniformes Orectolobiformes Pristiophoriformes Squaliformes Squatiniformes Sharks (superorder Selachimorpha) are fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton[1] and a streamlined body. ... Superfamilies Pseudochactoidea Buthoidea Chaeriloidea Chactoidea Iuroidea Scorpionoidea See classification for families. ... Genera Allonautilus Nautilus Nautilus (from Greek nautilos, sailor) is the common name of any marine creatures of the cephalopod family Nautilidae, the sole family of the suborder Nautilina. ... Genera Peripatus . ...

See also

• Elvis taxon
• Living fossil
• Tortoise (band), a band with an album titled A Lazarus Taxon