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Apus (genus)
Encyclopedia
The bird
genus Apus comprise some of the Old World
members of the family Apodidae, commonly known as swift
s.
They are among the fastest birds in the world. They resemble swallow
s, to which they are not related, but have shorter tails and sickle-shaped wings. Swifts spend most of their life aloft, have very short legs and use them mostly to cling to surfaces.
name Apus. In 1801 Bosc
gave the small crustacean
organisms known today as Triops
the genus name Apus, and later authors continued to use this term. Keilhack suggested (in 1909) that this was incorrect since there was already an avian genus named Apus by Scopoli
in 1777 . It wasn't until 1958 when the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature
(ICZN) ruled against the use of the genus name Apus and instead recognized the term Triops that the controversy finally ended.
Known fossil species are:
The Miocene "Apus" ignotus is now placed in Procypseloides.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
genus Apus comprise some of the Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
members of the family Apodidae, commonly known as swift
Swift
The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...
s.
They are among the fastest birds in the world. They resemble swallow
Swallow
The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...
s, to which they are not related, but have shorter tails and sickle-shaped wings. Swifts spend most of their life aloft, have very short legs and use them mostly to cling to surfaces.
Taxonomic history of Apus
Before the 1950s, there was some controversy over which group of organism should have the genusGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
name Apus. In 1801 Bosc
Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc
Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc was a French botanist, invertebrate zoologist, and entomologist.-Biography:...
gave the small crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
organisms known today as Triops
Triops
Triops is a genus of small crustaceans in the order Notostraca . They are considered living fossils, with a fossil record that reaches back to the Carboniferous, .-Relatives and fossil record:...
the genus name Apus, and later authors continued to use this term. Keilhack suggested (in 1909) that this was incorrect since there was already an avian genus named Apus by Scopoli
Giovanni Antonio Scopoli
Giovanni Antonio Scopoli was an Italian physician and naturalist.-Biography:...
in 1777 . It wasn't until 1958 when the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature
International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature
The International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature is an organization dedicated to "achieving stability and sense in the scientific naming of animals". Founded in 1895, it currently comprises 28 members from 20 countries, mainly practicing zoological taxonomists...
(ICZN) ruled against the use of the genus name Apus and instead recognized the term Triops that the controversy finally ended.
Systematics
- Cape Verde Swift, Apus alexandri
- Common SwiftCommon SwiftThe Common Swift is a small bird, superficially similar to the Barn Swallow or House Martin. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes...
, Apus apus - Plain SwiftPlain SwiftThe Plain Swift is a medium-sized swift. Although this bird is superficially similar to a Barn Swallow or House Martin, it is not related to those passerine species. The resemblances between the groups are due to convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles.Swifts have very short legs that...
, Apus unicolor - Nyanza SwiftNyanza SwiftThe Nyanza Swift is a species of swift in the Apodidae family.It is found in Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda.-References:...
, Apus niansae - Pallid SwiftPallid SwiftThe Pallid Swift is a small bird, superficially similar to a Barn Swallow or House Martin. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since the swifts are in the order Apodiformes...
, Apus pallidus - African Black Swift, Apus barbatus
- Forbes-Watson's SwiftForbes-Watson's SwiftThe Forbes-Watson's Swift is a species of swift in the Apodidae family.It is found in Kenya, Somalia, and Yemen.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 24 July 2007....
, Apus berliozi - Bradfield's SwiftBradfield's SwiftThe Bradfield's Swift is a species of swift in the Apodidae family.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 24 July 2007....
, Apus bradfieldi - Madagascar SwiftMadagascar SwiftThe Madagascar Swift is a species of swift in the Apodidae family.It is endemic to Madagascar.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
, Apus balstoni - Pacific SwiftPacific SwiftThe Pacific Swift , is a small bird, superficially similar to a House Martin. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the order Apodiformes...
, Apus pacificus - Salim Ali's SwiftSalim Ali's SwiftThe Salim Ali's Swift , is a small bird, superficially similar to a House Martin. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the order Apodiformes...
, Apus salimali - Blyth's SwiftBlyth's SwiftThe Blyth's Swift , is a small bird, superficially similar to a House Martin. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the order Apodiformes...
, Apus leuconyx - Cook's SwiftCook's SwiftThe Cook's's Swift , is a small bird, superficially similar to a House Martin. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the order Apodiformes...
, Apus cooki - Dark-rumped SwiftDark-rumped SwiftThe Dark-rumped Swift is a species of swift in the Apodidae family.It is found in Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Thailand.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss....
, Apus acuticauda - Little SwiftLittle SwiftThe Little Swift , is a small bird, superficially similar to a Barn Swallow or House Martin. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the order Apodiformes. The resemblances between the groups are due to convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles...
, Apus affinis - House SwiftHouse SwiftThe House Swift is a species of swift in the Apodidae family.It is found in Nepal, and Southeast Asia. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the Little Swift.-References:...
, Apus nipalensis - Horus SwiftHorus SwiftThe Horus Swift, Apus horus, is a small bird in the swift family. It breeds in sub-Saharan Africa. It has an extensive continuous distribution from eastern and southern South Africa north to southern Zambia and central Mozambique, and has recently colonised the De Hoop Nature Reserve area of the...
, Apus horus - White-rumped SwiftWhite-rumped SwiftThe White-rumped Swift is a small swift. Although this bird is superficially similar to a House Martin, it is completely unrelated to that passerine species. The resemblances between the swallows and swifts are due to convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles.Swifts have very short legs...
, Apus caffer - Bates's SwiftBates's SwiftThe Bates's Swift is a species of swift in the Apodidae family.It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria....
Apus batesi - Fernando Po SwiftFernando Po SwiftThe Fernando Po Swift is a species of swift in the Apodidae family.It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria.-Source:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 24 July 2007....
Apus sladeniae
Known fossil species are:
- Apus gaillardi (Middle/Late Miocene of La Grive-St.-Alban, France)
- Apus wetmorei (Early - Late Pliocene? of SC and SE Europe)
- Apus baranensis (Late Pliocene of SE Europe)
- Apus submelba (Middle Pleistocene of Slovakia)
The Miocene "Apus" ignotus is now placed in Procypseloides.