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Clarifying the morphology of the enigmatic Kiritimati
Sandpiper Prosobonia cancellata (J. F. Gmelin, 1785),
based on a review of the contemporary data
Authors: Jansen, Justin J. F. J., and Cibois, Alice
Source: Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club, 140(2) : 142-146
Published By: British Ornithologists' Club
URL: https://doi.org/10.25226/bboc.v140i2.2020.a4
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Justin J. F. J. Jansen & Alice Cibois 142 Bull. B.O.C. 2020 140(2)
© 2020 The Authors; This is an open‐access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Aribution-NonCommercial Licence, which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
ISSN-2513-9894
(Online)
Clarifying the morphology of the enigmatic Kiritimati
Sandpiper Prosobonia cancellata (J. F. Gmelin, 1785),
based on a review of the contemporary data
by Justin J. F. J. Jansen & Alice Cibois
Received 21 February 2020; revised 27 March 2020; published 22 June 2020
hp://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A7257C63-3200-40AC-8B7E-6C92B631AEA5
S.—The extinct Kiritimati Sandpiper Prosobonia cancellata is known from
a single contemporaneous illustration by William Wade Ellis and a description
consider the illustration as almost in line with Anderson’s description. Further,
using both Anderson’s work and Ellis’ illustration, we prepared a description of
the bird to replace Latham’s interpretation of the depiction. Finally, we show that
Kiritimati Sandpiper possessed several unique morphological characters.
Prosobonia sp.), have available
skins and mounts: the extant Tuamotu Sandpiper Prosobonia parvirostris, and a unique
skin of Tahiti Sandpiper P. leucoptera. The extinct Moorea Sandpiper P. ellisi and Kiritimati
Sandpiper P. cancellata are each known from a single illustration executed on the third
species, endemic to Henderson Island, is known only from bones and is undescribed
(Wragg 1995, De Pietri et alProsobonia sandpipers were once widespread in the
Kiritimati Sandpiper
Republic of Kiribati, and geographically part of the Line Islands. It was illustrated by William
Wade Ellis, surgeon’s mate on board HMS Discovery during the third circumnavigation
commanded by Captain James Cook (1776–80). Part of his crew visited the island between
24 December 1777 and 2 January 1778. There, or soon afterwards, an illustration was made
by Ellis. He also illustrated, from the same island, Kiritimati Reed Warbler Acrocephalus
aequinoctialisPluvialis fulva (Lysaght 1959: 334, 338). In 1785, John
Latham initially described the sandpiper based on the drawing (see also Latham 1824: 9).
However, it was formally described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1789 (Gmelin 1789) from
Latham’s 1785 description. The illustration is now at the Natural History Museum, London
(NHMUK), having originally formed part of the collection of Sir Joseph Banks.
As our entire knowledge of this species apparently derives from a single illustration,
we located a description provided by William Anderson, the expedition’s surgeon, which
was mentioned but not presented by Lysaght (1959: 332–333). However, the identity of
Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola (Lysaght 1959: 332–333). Here, we present all of the known
as discussing the trustworthiness of Ellis’s drawing.
Extant descriptions
In Anderson MS (c.1780: 12):
23. Tringa aquinoctialis. Magnitudo Alauda paula majora. Longitudo uncio 7.
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Justin J. F. J. Jansen & Alice Cibois 143 Bull. B.O.C. 2020 140(2)
© 2020 The Authors; This is an open‐access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Aribution-NonCommercial Licence, which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
ISSN-2513-9894
(Online)
Corpus superne fuscum albido variegatum. Inferne albidum pectore hypochondrusque fusco
pari[l]is. Pileum fuscum linea alba supra oculos a basi Rostri fere a i [ad] nucham. Remiges
fusca. Cauda rotundata rectricibus faucis albo fasciatim. Rostrum rectum nigrum. Habitat
insula Diei Christi. Solitaria. Anis Tringarum alpina helveticaque.
[Our translation]
23. Tringa aquinoctialis. Slightly taller than a lark. Length 7 inches.
Upper body brown with various white markings. Underside, white breast and anks similarly
brown. Brown cap, white line from top of eye to base of beak, almost reaching nape. Remiges
brown. Tail rounded by rectrices (= round tail), white throat streaked. Beak straight and black.
Lives on Christmas Island. Solitary. Aliated with Tringa [Calidris] alpina and Tringa
helvetica [Pluvialis squatarola].
Although the species were probably not present on Kiribati, these are the names the
author referred to (i.e. species he was familiar with and that he used for comparison).
Barred Phalarope Length seven inches and a half. Bill one inch, black: the feathers on the upper
parts of the bird brown, edged with white transversely barred with dusky: quills dusky, with
the ends brown, and the margins and tips very pale: tail the same, spoed on both webs with
white: legs dusky.
Inhabits Christmas Island. In the collection of Sir Joseph Banks.
In Gmelin (1789: 675) there is the following description:
cancellata 34. Tr. Pennis superioribus fulcis, margine albis, inferioribus albis transversim
obscure lineatis, pedibus pinnatis obscuris.
Barred Phalarope, Lath. Syn. III. I. p. 274. N. 5.
Habitat in insula nativitatis Cristi, 7 ½ polices longa.
Rostrum nigrum; remiges restricesque obscurae, margine et apice pallidiori.
[Our translation]
cancellata 34. Tr[inga], plumage dark brown above, with white edges, underside white
transversely barred with dark lines, pinnate dark feet.
Barred Phalarope, Lath[am]. Syn. III. I. p. 274. N. 5.
Lives on Christmas Island, 7 ½ inches long.
Bill black; remiges and rectrices dark, with paler margins and tips.
The use by Gmelin of ‘pedibus pinnatis’, literally ‘winged’ or ‘feathered’ feet, is odd.
The feet are not feathered, so we believe that this adjective refers to the shape of the feet
and should be translated as ‘pinnate’, i.e. having branches, tentacles, etc., either side of
an axis, like the vanes of a feather.
In Latham (1824: 9) is the following description:
Barred Phalarope Length seven inches and a half. Bill one inch, black: shape uncertain,
feathers on the upper parts of the body brown, edged with white, transversely barred with dusky:
quills dusky, with brown ends, the margins and tips very pale: tail the same, spoed on both
webs with white: legs dusky.
Inhabits Christmas Island. - Sir Joseph Banks.
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Justin J. F. J. Jansen & Alice Cibois 144 Bull. B.O.C. 2020 140(2)
© 2020 The Authors; This is an open‐access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Aribution-NonCommercial Licence, which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
ISSN-2513-9894
(Online)
The illustration
analysed ten random illustrations made by Ellis during the third expedition, and checked
the reliability of the artist: Blue-crowned Lorikeet Vini australis (Ellis no. 13), Hawaii Oo
Moho nobilis (Ellis no. 26), Hawaii Mamo Drepanis pacica (Ellis no. 27), Lesser Akialoa
Hemignathus obscurus (Ellis no. 28), Iiwi Drepanis coccinea (Ellis no. 29), Hawaii Amakihi
Chlorodrepanis virens (Ellis no. 31), South Island Saddleback Philesturnus carunculatus (Ellis
no. 73), Tahiti Reed Warbler Acrocephalus caer (Ellis no. 76), Ou Psiirostra psiacea (Ellis
no. 79) and Akepa Loxops coccineus (Ellis no. 85). In general, most of these drawings are
accurate, albeit with some incorrect details in several illustrations, but all of the species
illustrated are recognisable beyond doubt. For example: there should be no red on the
Figure 1. William Wade Ellis’s painting of Kiritimati Sandpiper Prosobonia cancellata, held by the Natural
History Museum, London, UK.
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Justin J. F. J. Jansen & Alice Cibois 145 Bull. B.O.C. 2020 140(2)
© 2020 The Authors; This is an open‐access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Aribution-NonCommercial Licence, which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
ISSN-2513-9894
(Online)
forehead of Blue-crowned Lorikeet Vini australis (Ellis no. 13); the Hawaii Mamo Drepanis
pacica (Ellis no. 27) lacks pale wingtips and the yellow undertail-coverts are too short; the
South Island Saddleback Philesturnus carunculatus (Ellis no. 73) should have reddish-brown
slightly too large in the illustration; and the adult Ou Psiirostra psiacea (Ellis no. 79) has
yellow reaching too far down the neck, should show whitish yellow undertail-coverts, has
incorrect bill and nostril shapes, and the legs should be pinkish (not greyish, as depicted).
delint: et pinxt: 1778. Christmas Isle’ (Fig. 1).
Conclusion
As Ellis’s drawing in combination with Anderson’s description are trustworthy (for
description, rather than Latham’s interpretation of the illustration.
Size and structure.—Kiritimati Sandpiper was of similar size to Tuamotu Sandpiper
(15–17 cm; van Gils et al. 2020) according to Anderson (7 inches = 17.8 cm), or slightly larger
according to Latham (7.5 inches = 19 cm). The shape appears unnatural, which may be a
result of the artist’s interpretation. The small head and short wings are clearly similar to
Tuamotu Sandpiper.
Head.—Short white supercilium (not extending behind eye in the illustration, unlike
in Anderson’s text), and nape dark. Forehead, crown and hindneck darker brownish,
remainder of the head paler brownish. Streaks of brown on throat, background paler brown.
Upperparts.—Brownish with paler feather fringes on the wing-coverts and primaries.
Mantle as coverts.
Underparts.—Pale brownish / white underparts, undertail-coverts paler, with darker
brown chevron-shaped feathers on the underparts.
Tail.—Rounded, with uniform-coloured feathers. Brownish background with dark
streaks. Longer than the tips of the wings when folded.
Bare parts.—Bill black, straight, legs dusky-coloured, part of tibia feathered, tarsus
long. Four toes.
Behaviour.—Solitary, loosely associated with other shorebirds.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Alison Harding at the Natural History Museum for access to William Anderson’s
manuscript and to Hellen Pethers for scanning of William W. Ellis’s illustration. We thank Julian Hume and
References:
Anderson, W. c.1780. Ms. Descriptions of animals collected on Capt. Cook’s second and third voyage round
the world 1772–1775 & 1776–1780. Ms no. 81. Natural History Museum, London.
Polynesian sandpiper (Charadriiformes: Scolopacidae: Prosobonia) from Henderson Island, Pitcairn
Prosobonia. Zool. J. Linn. Soc.
van Gils, J., Wiersma, P., Boesman, P. & Kirwan, G. M. 2020. Tuamotu Sandpiper (Prosobonia parvirostris). In
Handbook of the birds of the world
Alive
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Gmelin, J. F. 1789. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, vol. 1(2). Georg. Emanuel Beer, Leipzig.
Latham, J. 1785. A general synopsis of birds, vol. 1. Benjamin White, London.
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Justin J. F. J. Jansen & Alice Cibois 146 Bull. B.O.C. 2020 140(2)
© 2020 The Authors; This is an open‐access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Aribution-NonCommercial Licence, which permits unrestricted use,
distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
ISSN-2513-9894
(Online)
Latham, J. 1824. A general history of birds, pt. 9. Benjamin White, London.
Lysaght, A. 1959. Some eighteenth century bird paintings in the Library of Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820). Bull.
Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Hist. Ser. 1: 251–371.
Thibault, J.-C. & Cibois, A. 2017. Birds of eastern Polynesia: a biogeographic atlas. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
Walters, M. 1991. Prosobonia ellisi, an extinct species of sandpiper from Moorea, Society Islands. Boll. Mus.
Region. Sci. Nat. Torino 9: 217–226.
Walters, M. 1993. On the status of the Christmas Island Sandpiper, Aechmorhynchus cancellatus. Bull. Brit. Orn.
Cl. 113: 97–102.
Wragg, G. M. 1995. The fossil birds of Henderson Island, Pitcairn Group: natural turnover and human
impact, a synopsis. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 56: 405–414.
Addresses: Justin Jansen, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Postbus 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands, e-mail:
justin.jansen@gmail.com. Alice Cibois, Natural History Museum of Geneva, CP 6434, 1211, Geneva 6,
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