Tag Archives: Eclectus

Eclectus infectus ssp. ‘Vanuatu’

Vanuatu Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus infectus ssp.)

This taxon is known from only two bones, a tibiotarsus and an ulna, that were recovered from a Late Holocene archaeological site on the island of Malakula, Vanuatu.

I personally would like to give that form a distinct subspecific placement, since other Eclectus Parrot taxa (Eclectus cornelia Bonaparte, Eclectus polychloros (Scopoli), Eclectus riedeli Meyer, Eclectus roratus (Müller)) are also usually restricted to single islands or island groups.

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References:

[1] David W. Steadman: A new species of extinct parrot (Psittacidae: Eclectus) from Tonga and Vanuatu, South Pacific. Pacific Science 60(1): 137-145. 2006

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edited: 19.05.2022

Eclectus infectus ssp. infectus Steadman

Oceanic Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus infectus ssp. infectus)

The Oceanic Eclectus Parrot was described in 2006 based on subfossil remains that were recovered from archaeological sites in Tonga and Vanuatu.

The species almost certainly has survived into the late 18th century, because it apparently was depicted by an unknown artist during Alessandro Malaspina’s Pacific Expedition in 1793 (see depiction below) on the island of ‘Uta Vava’u, Tonga.

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References:

[1] David W. Steadman: A new species of extinct parrot (Psittacidae: Eclectus) from Tonga and Vanuatu, South Pacific. Pacific Science 60(1): 137-145. 2006

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Depiction made during the Malaspina Expedition between 1789 & 1794

(public domain)

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edited: 19.05.2022