Oceanic eclectus

Oceanic eclectus
Temporal range: Late Pleistocene to Holocene
1793 drawing of a parrot believed to be the Oceanic eclectus parrot
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittaculidae
Genus: Eclectus
Species:
†E. infectus
Binomial name
†Eclectus infectus
Steadman, 2006

The oceanic eclectus [2] (Eclectus infectus) is an extinct parrot species which occurred on Tonga, Vanuatu and possibly on Fiji. Its closest living relative is the eclectus parrot (Eclectus roratus sensu lato), which has proportionally larger wings than the oceanic eclectus parrot. The fossil material unearthed in November 1989 in Late Pleistocene and Holocene deposits on 'Eua, Lifuka, 'Uiha and Vanuatu and described in 2006 by David William Steadman include a complete femur, five radii, a quadrate bone, a mandible, a coracoid, two sterna, two humeri, two ulnae, two tibiotarsi, a carpometacarpus, a tarsometatarsus, and three pedal phalanges.[3]

Life restoration of a male and female

The oceanic eclectus parrot became extinct on Tonga during the early settlement 3000 years ago, presumably due to human-caused factors. On Vava'u, it may have survived into historic times because among the drawings which were created in 1793 during Alessandro Malaspina's Pacific expedition, there is one sketch which appears to portray an Oceanic eclectus parrot.[4]

Fossil remains of the oceanic eclectus (Eclectus infectus), have been found in archaeological sites in the islands of Tonga and Vanuatu.[5] The species presumably existed in Fiji, as well. E. infectus had proportionally smaller wings than the eclectus parrot. The species became extinct after the arrival of humans 3000 years ago, presumably due to human-caused factors (habitat loss, introduced species).

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2017). "Eclectus infectus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T62307504A119208554. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T62307504A119208554.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ Steadman, David William (2006). Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds. University of Chicago Press. p. 525. ISBN 0-226-77142-3.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Steadman2006 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Olson, S. L: Birds, including extinct species, encountered by the Malaspina Expedition on Vava’u, Tonga and Brazil , in 1793. PDF Fulltext
  5. ^ Steadman D. (2006) "A New Species of Extinct Parrot (Psittacidae: Eclectus) from Tonga and Vanuatu, South Pacific." Pacific Science 60(1): 137–145 abstract Archived 2023-02-02 at the Wayback Machine