The Norfolk ground dove (Pampusana norfolkensis) was a species of bird in the Columbidae, or pigeon family.

Norfolk ground dove

Extinct (1800)  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Genus: Pampusana
Species:
P. norfolkensis
Binomial name
Pampusana norfolkensis
(Forshaw, 2015)
Synonyms
  • Alopecoenas norfolkensis Forshaw, 2015

It was endemic to Norfolk Island, but became extinct due to introduced predators, disappearing within a few decades after European settlement in the late 18th century.

There are no preserved specimens of the Norfolk ground dove and the majority of unambiguous information about the species comes from the single illustration made by John Hunter for the book Collection of 100 original watercolours of Birds, Flowers, Fishes and Natives done during 1788–1790 in New South Wales, pl. no 89, with a description "Dove. Norfolk Island".[1] In the past the scientific name Columba norfolciensis Latham (1801) was used to refer to this species; however, the name was also used to refer to the common emerald dove and the white-headed pigeon, and it cannot be confirmed that Latham's original description of Columba norfolciensis refers to the species illustrated by Hunter.[1] The name Columba norfolciensis was suppressed by ICZN in 2010.[2] Joseph Forshaw (2015) introduced a new scientific name for the Norfolk ground dove, Alopecoenas norfolkensis.[1]

The name of the genus was changed in 2019 to Pampusana Bonaparte, 1855 as this name has priority.[3][4]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Joseph Michael Forshaw (2015). Pigeons and doves in Australia. CSIRO Publishing. pp. 84–85. ISBN 9780643096332.
  2. ^ International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (2010). "OPINION 2251 (Case 3442) Columba norfolciensis Latham, 1801 (Aves, COLUMBIDAE): name suppressed". Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature. 67 (2): 192–193. doi:10.21805/bzn.v67i2.a15. S2CID 193143627.
  3. ^ Bruce, M.; Bahr, N.; David, N. (2016). "Pampusanna vs. Pampusana: a nomenclatural conundrum resolved, along with associated errors and oversights" (PDF). Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 136: 86–100.
  4. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2019). "Pigeons". World Bird List Version 9.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 25 June 2019.