Tag Archives: Eua

Myiagra sp. ”Eua’

Tongan Monarch (Myiagra sp.)

The Tongan Monarch is known from subfossil bones excavated on the island of ‘Eua. 

The species is most closely related to the jeweled (Myiagra azureocapilla Layard) and the red-bellied monarch (Myiagra vanikorensis (Quoy & Gaimard)) of the Fiji Islands and the Samoan monarch (Myiagra albiventris(Peale)) (see illustration). 

The islands of the Tongan archipelago most likely harbored several subspecies, each inhabiting neighboring island groups. 

The Tongan Monarch disappeared, along with numerous other native bird species, due to the devastating destruction of natural vegetation on Tonga’s heavily populated islands. 

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Samoan Monarch (Myiagra albiventris) 

Depiction from: ‘O. Finsch; G. Hartlaub: Contribution to the fauna of Central Polynesia. Ornithology of the Viti, Samoa and Tonga Islands. Halle, H. W. Schmidt 1867’ 

(public domain)

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References: 

[1] D. W. Steadman: Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds. University of Chicago Press 2006 

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edited: 04.12.2012

Tongoenas burleyi Steadman & Takano

Giant Tongan Pigeon (Tongoenas burleyi)

This very large but still fully volant species is known for quite some time; it is known only on the basis of subfossil bones that were recovered from several sites on some of the Tongan islands, including ‘Eua, Foa, Lifuka, and Tongatapu. The species was finally named in 2020. [1]

In life, this species must have reached a length of more than 50 cm, making it one of the largest pigeons at all, only exceeded in size by the New Guinean crowned pigeons (Goura spp.).

The giant Tongan Pigeon died out shortly after the arrival of the first Polynesian settlers at around 2800 years BP.. [1]

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References:

[1] David W. Steadman; Oona M. Takano: A new genus and species of pigeon (Aves, Columbidae) from the Kingdom of Tonga, with an evaluation of hindlimb osteology of columbids from Oceania. Zootaxa 4810(3): 401-420. 2020

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edited: 22.08.2022

Samoana cramptoni Pilsbry & Cooke

Crampton’s Samoana Snail (Samoana cramptoni)

Crampton’s Samoana Snail was described in 1934, it was restricted to the island of ‘Eua in the Kingdom of Tonga.

The shells are: “Dextral, oblong-conic, narrowly umbilicate and rimate. … thin, translucent, glossy with fine spiral striae on the upper part of spire, fading on body whorl where only a few visible around umbilicus.” [1]

The species is now extinct due to introduced predatory species, including rats.

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References:

[1] Justin Gerlach: Icons of Evolution: Pacific Island Tree-Snails of the Family Partulidae. Phelsuma Press 2016

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edited: 04.06.2021

Didunculus placopedetes Steadman

Tongan Tooth-billed Pigeon (Didunculus placopedetes)

The Tongan Tooth-billed Pigeon was described in 2006 based on subfossil remains that were found on several islands within the Tongan island chain, including the islands of ‘Eua, Ha’afeva, Ha’ano, Lifuka, Tongatapu, and ‘Uiha.

The species was larger than the closely related and now also almost extinct Tooth-billed Pigeon (Didunculus strigirostris (Jardine)) (see depiction) that is just holding on at least on island of Western Samoa.

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Depiction from: John Gould. The birds of Australia. London: printed by R. and J. E. Taylor; pub. by the author 1840-48

(public domain)

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References:

[1] D. W. Steadman: An extinct species of tooth-billed pigeon (Didunculus) from the Kingdom of Tonga, and the concept of endemism in insular landbirds. Journal of Zoology 268(3): 233-241. 2006

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edited: 20.08.2022

Lalage sp. ‘Tonga’

Tongan Triller (Lalage sp.)

The Tonga Triller is only known from subfossil bones that were recovered during excavations on the islands of ‘Eua and Tongatapu in the Kingdom of Tonga.

This species was distinct from the Polynesian Triller (Lalage maculosa ssp. tabuensis Mayr & Ripley) (see photo below) that still inhabits these islands today, however, I don’t have any further information about it so far.

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Polynesian Triller (Lalage maculosa ssp. tabuensis Mayr & Ripley)

Photo: Duncan Wright
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

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References:

[1] David W. Steadman: Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds. University of Chicago Press 2006

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edited: 12.05.2022

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

Ducula shutleri Worthy & Burley

Tongan Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula shutleri)

The Tongan Imperial Pigeon is known from subfossil remains that were recovered from late Pleistocene deposits as well as from Holocene deposits on several islands within the Tongan island chain, including ‘Eua, Ha’afeva, Lifuka, and Tongatapu.

The species was for some time thought to possibly have been identical with David’s Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula david Balouet & Olson) or with the Lakeba Imperial-Pigeon (Ducula lakeba Worthy), both likewise extinct, but is now understood as having been a distinct species and was finally described as such in 2020. [1]

This large but still volant pigeon died out soon after the arrival of the first Polynesian settlers at around 2850 BP..

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References:

[1] David W. Steadman; Oona M. Takano: A new genus and species of pigeon (Aves, Columbidae) from the Kingdom of Tonga, with an evaluation of hindlimb osteology of columbids from Oceania. Zootaxa 4810(3): 401-420. 2020

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edited: 22.08.2022

Zosteropidae gen. & sp. ”Eua’

Large Eua White-eye (Zosteropidae gen. & sp.)  

The subfossil remains of this bird were found on the Tongan island of ‘Eua, it can be assigned to the white-eye family (Zosteropidae), however, not at least because of its large size, it cannot be assigned to any genus.  

The form has currently no scientific name. [1][2][3]  

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The neighboring island of Tongatapu harbored another similar form, also known exclusively from subfossil bone material, which may be identical with the form from the island of ‘Eua. [3]  

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References:  

[1] David W. Steadman: Biogeography of Tongan birds before and after human impact. Proc. Natl. Acad, Sci. USA 90: 818-822. 1993 
[2] D. W. Steadman: Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds. University of Chicago Press 2006 
[3] S. T. Turvey: Holocene Extinctions. Oxford University Press, USA 2009

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edited: 17.09.2020

Turdus sp. ”Eua’

Eua Thrush (Turdus sp.)

The thrushes that once inhabited the island of ‘Eua, Tonga were either identical with those from the neighboring island of Tongatapu, or, more likely, were a distinct subspecies or species.

The taxon, whatever it may have been, is known only from subfossil remains, and died out soon after the arrival oft he first Polynesain settlers. [1]  

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References:  

[1] D. W. Steadman: Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds. University of Chicago Press 2006

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edited: 27.11.2018

Megapodius alimentum Steadman

Western Polynesian Megapode (Megapodius alimentum)

The Megapodes, so called for their large feet used for digging, are characterized by their strange breeding behavior: they do not incubate their eggs with their body heat as other birds do, but bury them.

Some species lay their eggs in the sand of beaches, heated up by the tropical sun, some use volcanically heat for incubation, others collect as much decaying plant material as possible to build so called mounds, in which they then place their eggs.

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Probably most islands in Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia formerly harbored their own populations of Megapodes, numerous species are now known from subfossil remains. Some species, most of them considered hypothetical, are known from eggs only, or from contemporary eye-witness accounts.

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The Western Polynesian Megapode, also known as Consumed Scrubfowl, was described in 1989, it is known from subfossil remains found on several islands of Fiji and Tonga.

The species was bigger than its living congeners, but by far not the biggest species, it was still volant and probably inhabited nearly all islands from the Fijian Lau group to the Tongan chain.

It disappeared after the colonization of these islands by the first Polynesian settlers, who not only hunted the adult birds but also dug up their eggs. [1][2]

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References:

[1] T. H. Worthy: The fossil megapodes (Aves: Megapodiidae) of Fiji with descriptions of a new genus and two new species. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 30(4): 337-364. 2000
[2] David W. Steadman: Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds. University of Chicago Press 2006

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edited: 31.10.2017