NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Australasian Shoveler
Spatula rhynchotis (Latham, 1801)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Australasian shoveler (Spatula rhynchotis) is a species of dabbling duck in the genus Spatula. It ranges from 46 to 53 cm (18 to 21 in). It lives in heavily vegetated swamps. In Australia it is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. They occur in southwestern and southeastern Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. The male has a blue-grey head with a vertical white crescent in front of the eyes.
Wikipedia contributors, Australasian shoveler; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:48:11.485486+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Spatula rhynchotis (Latham, 1801)
- Name authority
- (Latham, 1801)
- Common name
- Australasian Shoveler
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Spatula
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderAnseriformes
- familyAnatidae Leach, 1820
- genusSpatula F. Boie, 1822
- speciesSpatula rhynchotis (Latham, 1801)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Spatula. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Blue-winged TealSpatula discors (Linnaeus, 1766) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cinnamon TealSpatula cyanoptera (Vieillot, 1816) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red ShovelerSpatula platalea (Vieillot, 1816) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blue-billed TealSpatula hottentota (Eyton, 1838) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Puna TealSpatula puna (Tschudi, 1844) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Anas rhynchotis rhynchotis Latham, 1801 Latham, 1801 | synonym |
| Anas rhynchotis variegata (Gould, 1856) (Gould, 1856) | synonym |
| Anas rhynchotis Latham, 1801 Latham, 1801 | synonym |
| Spatula variegata Gould, 1856 Gould, 1856 | synonym |
| Spatula rhynchotis rhynchotis (Latham, 1801) (Latham, 1801) | synonym |
| Spatula rhynchotis variegata Gould, 1856 Gould, 1856 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1192579 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:9HKY5. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.