Zosterops cinerea ponapensisFinsch

Drepanis cinereaKittlitz, Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci., St. Pétersbourg, 2, 1835, p. 4, pl. 5 (Ualan);idem, Obser. Zool., in Lutké, Voy. "Le Séniavine," 3, 1836, p. 285 (Ualan); Reichenbach, Syn. Avium, 1853, p. 242 (Ualan); Kittlitz, Denkw. Reise, russ. Amer. Micron. und Kamchat., 1, 1858, p. 367 (Ualan).

Zosterops cinereaHartlaub, Archiv f. Naturgesch., 18, 1852, p. 131 (Ualan); Gray, Cat. Birds Trop. Is. Pacific Ocean, 1859, p. 16 (Oualan);idem, Hand-list Birds, 1, 1869, p. 163 (Caroline = Kusaie); Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1872, p. 96 (Ualan); Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, p. 27 (Ualan);idem, Ibis, 1881, pp. 107, 108 (Kuschai); Gadow, Cat. Birds British Mus., 9, 1884, p. 198 (Kushai); Tristram, Cat. Birds, 1889, p. 210 (Kuschai); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 36 (Ualan); Hartert, Kat. Vogelsamml., Senckenb., 1891, p. 31 (Ualan); Oustalet, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (3), 7, 1895, p. 208 (Oualan); Finsch, Das Tierreich, no. 15, 1901, p. 45 (Kusaie); Dubois, Syn. Avium, 1, 1902, p. 713 (Kusaie); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, pp. 55, 64 (Kusaie); Wetmore, in Townsend and Wetmore, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 63, 1919, p. 224 (Kusaie); Stresemann, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 17, 1931, p. 230 (Kusaie); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 173 (Kusaie); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 192 (Kusaie).

Dicaeum cinereumHartlaub, Journ. f. Ornith., 1854, p. 168 (Carolinen = Kusaie).

Zosterops cinereusFinsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, p. 17 (Ualan); idem, Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, pp. 286, 297, 300 (Kuschai);idem, Mitth. Ornith. Ver. Wien, 1884, p. 48 (Kuschai).

Zosterops KittlitziFinsch, Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, p. 300 (Type locality, Kusaie); Reichenow and Schalow, Journ. f. Ornith., 1881, p. 94 (Kusaie?).

Tephras cinereusMatschie, Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, pp. 111, 112, 113 (Ualan).

Tephras cinereaKuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 77 (Kusaie); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 2, 1930, p. 712 (Oualan).

Zosterops cinerea cinereaMayr, Amer. Mus. Novit., no. 1269, 1944, p. 7 (Kusaie?);idem, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 300 (Kusaie).

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Caroline Islands—Kusaie.

Characters.—Adult: A small, dusky white-eye with upper parts smoky olivaceous-gray; lores dingy white; auriculars brownish; no white orbital ring; wing and tail feathers dark brownish-gray with paler greenish-gray outer edges; underparts pale ashy-gray, chin lighter, flanks darker; bill black; feet light brown; iris brown.

Measurements.—Measurements ofZ. cinereaare listed intable 51. Males and females have approximately equal measurements.

Table 51. Measurements ofZosterops cinerea

Specimens examined.—Total number, 50 (33 males, 17 females), as follows: Caroline Islands, USNM—Kusaie, 1 (Feb. 9); AMNH—Kusaie, 49 (Jan., Feb., March).

Nesting.—Coultas found that approximately one-half of the males which he obtained in March, 1931, had swollen gonads.

Molt.—Many of the birds obtained in January and February were molting, and many of those obtained in March were in fresh plumage.

Remarks.—Coultas obtained a large series of these birds at Kusaie in 1931, where he found them to be common.

Zosterops ponapensisFinsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1875 (1876), p. 643. (Type locality, Ponapé.)

Zosterops ponapensisFinsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, pp. 17, 27, pl. 2, fig. 1 (Ponapé);idem., Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877 (1878), p. 778 (Ponapé); Nehrkorn, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 1879, p. 396 (Ponapé?); Finsch, Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, pp. 286, 300 (Ponapé);idem, Ibis. 1881, pp. 110, 111, 115 (Ponapé); Schmeltz and Krause, Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, p. 281 (Ponapé); Finsch, Mitth. Ornith. Ver. Wien, 1884, p. 48 (Ponapé); Gadow, Cat. Birds British Mus., 9, 1884, p. 198 (Ponapé); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 36 (Ponapé); Bolau, Mitteil. Naturhist. Mus. Hamburg. 1898, p. 60 (Ponapé); Nehrkorn, Kat. Eiers., 1899, p. 80 (Ponapé); Finsch, Das Tierreich, no. 15, 1901, p. 46 (Ponapé); Dubois, Syn. Avium, 1, 1902, p. 713 (Ponapé); Reichenow, Die Vögel, 2, 1914, p. 470 (Ponapé); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, pp. 55, 65 (Ponapé); Stresemann, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 17, 1931, p. 230 (Ponapè); Yamashina, Tori, 7, 1932, p. 397 (Ponapé); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 173 (Ponapé); Mayr, Proc. 6th Pacific Sci. Congr., 4, 1941, p. 204 (Ponapé); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 192 (Ponapé).

Tephras ponapensisMatschie, Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, pp. 111, 112, 113 (Ponapé); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 77 (Ponapé); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 2, 1930, p. 712 (Ponapé).

Zosterops ponapenensisWetmore, in Townsend and Wetmore, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 63, 1919, p. 224 (Ponapé).

Zosterops cinerea ponapensisMayr, Amer. Mus. Novit., no. 1269, 1944, p. 7 (Ponapé?);idem, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 300 (Ponapé).

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Caroline Islands—Ponapé.

Characters.—Adult: Resembles adult ofZ. c. cinerea, but smaller with upper parts umber-brown, forehead pale gray; underparts mostly pale gray, sides of breast and abdomen brownish-buff; under tail-coverts pale buffy-gray.

Measurements.—Measurements are listed intable 51.

Specimens examined.—Total number, 47 (28 males, 17 females, 2 unsexed), as follows: Caroline Islands, USNM—Ponapé, 1 (Feb. 11); AMNH—Ponapé, 46 (Nov., Dec.).

Nesting.—Yamashina (1931a:397-398) describes two nests ofZ. c. ponapensis, each containing one egg. These were taken at Ponapé on August 4 and 11, 1931. The nests were located 2.5 meters from the ground. The eggs are light blue and pale greenish-blue in color; one measures 18.5 by 13.5. He writes, "The nest consists of two layers, the inner and the outer. The outer layer is made of fine roots, fibers, leaves and petals, interwoven with a large quantity of cotton-wool, and the inner layer is made of fibers of fine roots only." Coultas found that a large number of birds taken in November had enlarged gonads, especially the males; in December, fewer birds with swollen gonads were obtained.

Remarks.—Coultas found this white-eye to be common at Ponapé, when he visited that island in November and December, 1930. He observed the birds in flocks and found them noisy and quarrelsome. They feed in bushes and small trees on seeds and insects. Richards obtained "small large-seeded blackish berries" from the stomach of a female from Ponapé. He found the birds to frequent low altitudes in and about native gardens.

Tephras finschiiHartlaub, in Hartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, p. 6, pl. 3. (Type locality, Pelew Islands.)

Tephras finschiiHartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1868, pp. 117, 118 (Pelew Islands).

Zosterops finschiiGray, Hand-list Birds, 1, 1869, p. 164 (Pelew); Gadow, Cat. Birds British Mus., 9, 1884, p. 197 (Pelew); Bolau, Mitteil. Naturhist. Mus. Hamburg, 1898, p. 60 (Palau).

Zosterops finschiHartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1872, pp. 89, 96 (Pelew); Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 8, 1875, pp. 4, 17 (Palau);idem, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, p. 27 (Palau); Giebel, Thes. Ornith., 3, 1877, p. 775 (Pelew); Finsch, Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, p. 300 (Pelew?); Schmeltz and Krause, Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, p. 407 (Palau); Tristram, Cat. Birds, 1889, p. 211 (Pelew); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 36 (Pelew); Finsch, Das Tierreich, no. 15, 1901, p. 45 (Palau); Dubois, Syn. Avium, 1, 1902, p. 713 (Pelew); Reichenow, Die Vögel, 2, 1914, p. 470 (Palau); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, pp. 55, 64 (Pelew); Stresemann, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 17, 1931, p. 230 (Palau); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 173 (Palau); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 192 (Babelthuap, Koror).

Tephras finschiMatschie, Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, pp. 112, 113 (Palau); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 77 (Pelew); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 2, 1930, p. 712 (Pelew).

Zosterops cinerea finschiMayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 300 (Palau).

Zosterops cinerea finschiiBaker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 74 (Peleliu, Garakayo).

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Palau Islands—Babelthuap, Koror, Garakayo, Peleliu, Ngabad.

Characters.—Adult: Resembles adult ofZ. c. cinerea, but upper parts mostly browner; wing and tail feathers browner; head blacker; rump lighter than back; auriculars grayish-brown; lores dark; sides of head and neck brownish; underparts mostly dark; chin and throat smoky gray; breast and abdomen more brown less gray; sides, flanks and under tail-coverts brown. Resembles adult ofZ. c. ponapensis, but larger with underparts more buffy; upper parts darker.

Measurements.—Measurements are listed intable 51.

Specimens examined.—Total number, 37 (15 males, 19 females, 3 unsexed), as follows: Palau Islands, USNM—Babelthuap, 1 (Nov. 27)—Koror, 3 (Nov. 4, 5)—Garakayo, 6 (Sept. 18)—Peleliu, 5 (Aug. 27, Sept. 10); AMNH—exact locality not given, 22 (Oct., Nov., Dec.).

Molt.—Many of the specimens ofZ. c. finschiitaken in the period from August to December show evidences of molt. Some of the birds taken in November and in December appear to be in fresh plumage. All three subspecies ofZ. cinereaevidently undergo a period of molt in the late summer and fall.

Remarks.—The Micronesian Dusky White-eye of Palau was found on several of the islands of the southern Palaus by the NAMRU2 party in 1945. The bird was observed in flocks of five or more individuals moving rapidly through the foliage of trees and shrubs. It was not found in the dense, undisturbed jungle areas, but rather in second growth vegetation and along the margins of woodlands. At Peleliu, birds were noted in trees and shrubs along the roadways; at Garakayo, birds were seen in low trees near the summits of hills. At Garakayo,Z. cinereaandZ. conspicillatawere found in the same areas near the tops of the hills. Both species appeared to be feeding on seeds of the same trees (unidentified but resembling the hibiscus).Z. cinereawas more numerous thanZ. conspicillataand appeared (from observations made on September 18, 1945) to be the dominant species and was seen to chase the smallerZ. conspicillataaway. Coultas (field notes) foundZ. cinerea"fairly common" in 1931 at Palau.

Evolutionary history of Zosterops cinerea.—The dusky white-eyes of Micronesia were considered as separate species until 1944, when Mayr (1944b:7) treated them as conspecific, stating that the bird at Ponapé has characters intermediate between those at Kusaie and Palau. Earlier, Hartert (1900:3) suggested a close association betweenZ. cinereaand the species at Truk (nowRukia ruki). Mayr concludes thatZ. cinereaandR. rukiare not closely related, and points out that the absence of a white orbital ring inZ. cinereadoes not necessarily mean that the bird should be considered as belonging to a genus other thanZosterops.

The pathway of colonization and the ancestral stock ofZ. cinereaare not certainly known. Among the white-eyes of the Polynesian, Melanesian and Malayan areas, there are few kinds whichZ. cinerearesembles closely. Mayr (1941b:204) writes that theZ. cinereaat Ponapé was derived from either Polynesia or Papua. I find little in common betweenZ. cinereaand the species in these areas, and in my opinionZ. cinereais closest toZ. atricepsof the Moluccas.Z. atricepshas plumage which is part grayish and part brownish. Its underparts resemble those ofZ. c. cinereabut are paler gray; crown, neck, and shoulder much like that ofZ. c. ponapensisandZ. c. finschii; and bill resembling that ofZ. c. cinerea.Z. atricepsdiffers by having olive-green coloring on back and wings and yellowish coloring on under side of tail. Thus, it is possible thatZ. cinereainvaded Micronesia from the Moluccan region, reaching either Palau or Ponapé initially.

Cleptornis palauensisReichenow, Journ. f. Ornith., 1915, p. 125. (Type locality, Babeldzuap = Babelthuap, Palauinseln.)

Megazosterops palauensisStresemann, Ornith. Monatsber., 38, 1930, p. 159 (Baobeltaob); Snouckaert, Alauda (2), 3, 1931, p. 26 (Palau); Stresemann, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 17, 1931, p. 235 (Baobel Taob = Babelthuap); Mathews, Ibis, 1931, p. 48 (Palau); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 172 (Palau); Yamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 674 (Palau); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 191 (Babelthuap, Peleliu).

Rukia palauensisMayr, Amer. Novit., no. 1269, 1944, p. 7 (Palau);idem, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, pp. 294, 300 (Peliliu); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, pp. 67, 74 (Peleliu).

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Palau Islands-Babelthuap, Peleliu.

Characters.—Adult: A large white-eye with upper parts near "Saccardo's olive" (some individuals darker brown), head and neck more olivacious, rump browner; auriculars blackish with pale yellow streaks; narrow supra-orbital stripe pale olive; orbital ring indistinct; underparts near "olive lake," chin lighter, under tail-coverts light yellowish-brown; wing and tail feathers dark brown, except for tawny outer edges and whitish inner edges; maxilla horn-color; mandible yellowish to tawny; feet tawny; iris grayish-brown.

Measurements.—Measurements ofRukiaare listed intable 52. Measurements of males and females are comparable within the same species.

Table 52. Measurements ofRukia

Specimens examined.—Total number, 21 (12 males, 9 females), as follows: Palau Islands, USNM—Peleliu, 11 (Aug. 27, 29, 30, Sept. 4, 5, 6, 7, Dec. 4, 5); AMNH—Peleliu?, 10 (Dec.).

Molt.—Specimens taken in August and September are in worn plumage, a few individuals show evidence of molt. Specimens taken in December are in fresh plumage, although two or three individuals are in the final stages of molt. This places the period of molt as September, October, and November. Nesting evidently occurs in the summer; one male taken on August 27, 1945, had enlarged gonads.

Remarks.—The Palau Greater White-eye was described under the generic nameCleptornisby Reichenow. This generic allocation was not followed by subsequent authors; Stresemann proposed thegeneric nameMegazosteropsin 1930, and Mayr (1944b:7) placed this white-eye in the genusRukiaalong with other large white-eyes from Micronesia. In employing this name, Mayr writes, "The generic namesRukia(forruki) andKubaryum(foroleaginea) were published simultaneously in the same publication. As first reviser I select the nameRukia, which not only is shorter but is also based on a species which I have been able to examine."

R. palauensisis recorded from Babelthuap and Peleliu of the Palau Islands. In 1931, Coultas found the birds only at the island of Peleliu, where he obtained nine specimens from a flock. In 1940, Yamashina (1940:674) writes that it is a very rare species at Palau. Marshall (1949:219) found the bird at Peleliu but at no other islands visited. In 1945, the NAMRU2 party obtained eight specimens at Peleliu from two localities on the eastern side of the island in jungle areas relatively undisturbed by war activities. The birds were fairly common in the brush and vines of the jungle undergrowth at these two areas. There were no flocks seen; usually singles or pairs were noted. The bird bears a striking resemblance toPsamathia annae, which lives in the same environment and has a somewhat similar coloration, shape and posture. These two birds probably have undergone a parallel development. Competition between the two was not noted.Psamathiais evidently less restricted in its distribution.

R. palauensishas a restricted distribution in the Palau Islands, as indicated by the observations of Coultas, the Japanese and the NAMRU2 party. The disturbance resulting from the war activities has undoubtedly influenced the population and restricted further the preferred habitat of this white-eye, especially at Peleliu.

Zosterops oleagineaHartlaub and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1872, p. 95. (Type locality, Uap.)

Zosterops oleagineaGräffe, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 2, 1873, p. 122 (Yap); Gadow, Cat. Birds British Mus., 9, 1884, p. 187 (Yap); Finsch, Das Tierreich, no. 15, 1901, p. 24 (Yap); Dubois, Syn. Avium, 1, 1902, p. 708 (Uap); Reichenow, Die Vögel, 2, 1914, p. 469 (Karolinen=Yap); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 64 (Mackenzie); Stresemann, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 17, 1931, p. 230 (Yap); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 173 (Yap); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 192 (Yap).

Zosterops oleagineaGiebel, Thes. Ornith., 3, 1877, p. 777 (Mackenzie); Schmeltz and Krause, Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, p. 391 (Yap); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 37 (Uap); Oustalet, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, (3), 7, 1895, p. 208 (Uap); Bolau, Mitteil. Naturhist. Mus. Hamburg, 1898, p. 60 (Yap).

Tephras oleagineaMatschie, Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, pp. 112, 113 (Yap).

Kubaryum oleaginusMomiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 1 (Yap); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 77 (Yap).

Kubaryum oleagineumMathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 2, 1930, p. 712 (Yap).

Rukia oleagineaMayr, Amer. Mus. Novit., no. 1269, 1944, p. 7 (Yap);idem, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 300 (Yap).

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Caroline Islands—Yap.

Characters.—According to Hartlaub and Finsch (1872:95), "General colour a deep oil-green, with a decided fulvous hue; underparts a little paler, and a little more yellowish; eye-ring satin-white; ears blackish; upper and under tail coverts with a slight rufous tinge; wing- and tail-feathers blackish, with oil-green margins; under wing-coverts whitish-grey; beak fulvous, under mandible, except at the tip, yellowish; feet pale, probably yellow; iris reddish white."

Remarks.—No specimens ofR. oleagineahave been examined by me, and I am following Mayr (1944b:7) in including it with the other large white-eyes of Micronesia in the genusRukia.

Tephras rukiHartert, Bull. British Ornith. Club, 7, 1897, p. 5. (Type locality, Ruk.)

Tephras rukiHartert, Ibis, 1898, p. 144 (Ruk);idem, Novit. Zool., 7, 1900, p. 3 (Ruk); Matschie, Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, pp. 111, 112, 113 (Ruck); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 2, 1930, p. 712 (Ruk).

Zosterops rukiFinsch, Das Tierreich, no. 15, 1901, p. 46 (Ruk); Dubois, Syn. Avium, 1, 1902, p. 713 (Ruk); Reichenow, Die Vögel, 2, 1914, p. 470 (Ruk); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 64 (Ruk); Stresemann, Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin, 17, 1931, p. 230 (Truk); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, pp. 172 (Truk); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 191 (Truk).

Rukia rukiMomiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 2 (Ruk); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 78 (Ruk); Mayr, Amer. Mus. Novit., no. 1269, 1944, p. 7 (Truk);idem, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 301 (Truk).

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Caroline Islands—Truk.

Characters.—According to Hartert (1897:5), "Entirely sepia-brown, the inner webs of the remiges and under wing-coverts lighter, inclining to whitish; the primaries darker, the outer webs bordered with the same colour as the back. Bill black; iris red; tarsi and feet orange-rufous; claws mouse-brown."R. rukimay be distinguished from other species ofRukiaby its dark olive-brown coloring.

Measurements.—Measurements are listed intable 52.

Specimens examined.—Total number, 7 (4 males, 2 females, 1 unsexed), from Caroline Islands, AMNH—Truk (Nov., Dec.).

Remarks.—This white-eye was first obtained by Owston's collectors in 1895 at Truk. Hartert (1900:3) writes, "It is most peculiar that the late J. Kubary, who was an excellent collector, and who spent more than fourteen months on Ruk, did not obtain this bird. It is probably not numerous, and occurs only on a certain secluded spot not visited by Kubary." In like manner,R. palauensiswas not described from Palau until 1915, although several collectors had visited the island at previous times. Hartert included the Truk Greater White-eye in the genusTephrasof Hartlaub. Later, Momiyama (1922:2) made this bird the type for his new genusRukia, in which Mayr has placed all of the large white-eyes of Micronesia.

Rhamphozosterops sanfordiMayr, Ornith. Monatsber., 39, 1931 [mailing date, Nov. 4, 1931,exMayr, 1944b:8], p. 182. (Type locality, Ponapé.)

Cinnyrorhyncha longirostraTakatsukasa and Yamashina, Dobutsu. Zasshi, 43, 1931 [printed date, Oct. 15, 1931, but mailing date for extra-Japanese recipients, Nov. 23, 1931,exMayr, 1944b:8], p. 599. (Type locality, Ponapé); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 172 (Ponapé); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 191 (Ponapé).

Cinnyrorhyncha longirostrisMathews, Ibis, 1933, p. 94 (Ponapé).

Rhamphozosterops sanfordiMayr, Proc. 6th Pacific Sci. Congr., 4, 1941, p. 204 (Ponapé).

Rukia sanfordiMayr, Amer. Mus. Novit., no. 1269, 1944, p. 7 (Ponapé);idem, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 301 (Ponapé).

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Caroline Islands—Ponapé.

Characters.—Adult: upper parts buffy-olive, head greenish, rump and upper tail-coverts buffy-brown; wing and tail feathers dark brown, outer edges yellowish-olive; underparts grayish-buff, chin and throat faintly washed with greenish-yellow; under tail-coverts darker; bill long, curved and brownish-black, base of mandible paler; feet yellowish; iris chestnut.R. sanfordiis distinguished from other species ofRukiaby its smaller size, its paler coloration and its longer and more curved bill.

Measurements.—Measurements are listed intable 52.

Specimens examined.—Total number, 18 (12 males, 6 females), from Caroline Islands, AMNH—Ponapé (Nov., Dec.).

Remarks.—Coultas obtained this white-eye at Ponapé in 1931; he writes (field notes) that it is "a very rare bird on Ponapé. I found them at one tree, a sort of a gum-tree, at about 2,000 feet, where they were collecting from the flowers of the tree. I was attracted by their deep-throated sibilation that is uttered while feeding. They were not in the least disturbed by the noise of the gun and remained long enough for me to collect a substantial series. One old man, who lives not far from the tree, was the only one I could find who knew the bird." Six males and one female taken in December had swollen gonads. Richards found this bird to be rare at Ponapé in 1947-1948. He writes (field notes) that the bird was seen twice (he obtained one male), once in deep forest at about 700 feet and once at the summit of Jokaj at 900 feet. He observed a group of three birds "wildly and loudly chasing one another from tree to tree." The male obtained had yellowish sap adhering to its bill.

The Ponapé Greater White-eye has an appearance very much like that of some of the honey-eaters. Takatsukasa and Yamashina (1931c:599) write, "General appearance very much like eitherCinnyrisorMyzomela, but it differs from them by its very small first primary, which is far shorter than the primary coverts, and also the smooth cutting edge of the bill, though the bill is similarly shaped as to that ofCinnyris. These characteristics show that this bird belongs toZosteropidaebut notNectarinidaeorMeliphagidae."

Mayr and the Japanese workers, Takatsukasa and Yamashina, published descriptions of this white-eye at Ponapé almost simultaneously. Mayr (1944b:8) contends that his name,Rhamphozosterops sanfordi, is valid because the mailing date of the journal (Ornithologische Monatsberichte) in whichR. sanfordiwas proposed was November 4, 1931, while his investigations show that the earliest mailing date to European and American ornithologists and libraries of the issue of Dobutsugaku Zasshi in which the nameCinnyrorhyncha longirostra, proposed by Takatsukasa and Yamashina, appeared was November 23, 1931. Mayr (1944b:8) points out that Japanese friends of the authors of the nameC. longirostraassert that they saw copies of the description [inferentially printed copies] prior to November 23, 1931. These Japanese, as far as is known, have not claimed that they saw copies before November 4, 1931, and Mayr's conclusion that his name,R. sanfordi, has priority is here accepted. If the nameC. longirostraTakatsukasa and Yamashina appeared in printed form and if copies, in requisite number, were distributed to specialists or libraries in Japan, or anywhere else, on or before November 3, 1931, the nameC. longirostrishas priority overR. sanfordi.

Evolutionary history of Rukia in Micronesia.—There is little known concerning the status of the large white-eyes of Micronesia. Most of them were not found by the earlier collectors and are at present reported to be rare or restricted in their distribution. Little is known concerning the food preferences and nesting activities of the birds and also whether they are actually in danger of extermination or whether their populations are normally as low as have been reported. Originally described under four different generic names, they are now considered as belonging in a single genus,Rukia.

I have compared specimens ofRukiawith those of other members of the family Zosteropidae found in the Pacific area.Rukiais apparently not closely related toZ. conspicillataandZ. cinereaof Micronesia but has been derived from a different source or sources.The author has comparedRukiawith the generaZosterops,Woodfordia,Hypocryptadius,Apoia,Chlorocharis,Pseudozosterops, andTephrozosterops. Results of these comparisons indicate that large and well-differentiated white-eyes are found on a number of the islands of Oceania. These white-eyes includeWoodfordia,Rukia,Zosterops inornata,Z. albogularis,Z. tenuirostris, andZ. strenua. These birds are all large, have large bills (either longer or stouter or both), large and long tarsi, and often short and rounded wings.Rukiaapparently has undergone a differentiation which parallels that which has taken place in these other white-eyes, but there is no evidence of a close relationship between these birds andRukia. There are some resemblances betweenRukiaandWoodfordia superciliosaof Rennell Island;W. superciliosais the same size and has a bill somewhat similar to that ofR. rukiand a coloration not very different from that ofR. sanfordi.R. rukiandR. sanfordimay have been derived originally from a common ancestral stock in Melanesia, with subsequent isolation on small islands for considerable time where differentiation took place.Rukiaalso shows some resemblance to the genusApoia, especially toA. pinaiaeof Ceram. There is also a possibility that the large white-eyes of Micronesia are merely highly modified species of the genusZosterops; this has been suggested by Mayr (1944b:7). It is my opinion thatRukiais a valid genus and is as much different from the genusZosterops(or more so) than other recognized genera of large white-eyes (WoodfordiaandApoia). There is also the strong possibility that the large white-eyes of Micronesia have been derived from more than one source (and are falsely united in one genus); however, it is my feeling that they represent a single colonization, which successfully established itself at four islands and evolved into four divergent species. PossiblyR. oleagineais the least specialized and is closest to the ancestral stock; however, this supposition is based on study of the original description and on a colored plate of the bird in a paper by Kuroda (1922b:pl. 7, fig. 4).

In summary, it seems that the large Micronesian white-eyes of the genusRukiacame originally from Melanesia. Possibly they came from Malaysia. Probably the birds have been derived from a single ancestral stock, that became established at four islands of Micronesia and became differentiated along diverse lines, so much so that some ornithologists have considered them as belonging to separate endemic genera.

Fringilla trichroaKittlitz, Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St. Pétersbourg, 2, 1835, p. 8, pl. 10. (Type locality, Ualan = Kusaie.)

Fringilla trichroaKittlitz, Obser. Zool., in Lutké, Voy. "Le Séniavine," 3, 1836, p. 285 (Ualan);idem, Denk. Reise russ. Amer. Micron. und Kamchat., 2, 1858, p. 38 (Ualan).

Estrelda trichroaGray, Genera Birds, 2, 1849, p. 369 (Kusaie?); Gray, Cat. Birds Trop. Is. Pacific Ocean, 1859, p. 27 (Oualan).

Erythrura trichroaBonaparte, Consp. Avium, 1, 1850, p. 457 (Ualan); Hartlaub, Archiv f. Naturgesch., 18, 1852, p. 133 (Carolinen = Kusaie);idem, Journ. f. Ornith., 1854, p. 168 (Carolinen = Kusaie); Gray, Hand-list Birds, 2, 1870, p. 58 (Ualan); Giebel, Thes. Ornith., 2, 1875, p. 118 (Carolinen = Ualan); Finsch, Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, p. 36 (Ualan);idem(part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, pp. 290, 297, 302 (Kusaie);idem(part), Ibis, 1881, pp. 104, 108 (Kuschai); Salvadori (part), Ornith. Papuasia, 2, 1881, p. 442 (Carolinis = Kusaie?); Schmeltz and Krause (part), Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, p. 281 (Kusaie); Sclater (part), Ibis, 1881, p. 545 (Ualan); Sharpe (part), Cat. Birds British Mus., 13, 1890, p. 385 (Carolines = Kusaie); Wiglesworth (part), Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 42 (Ualan); Matschie (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, p. 112 (Ualan); Dubois (part), Syn. Avium, 1, 1902, pp. 583 (Carolines = Kusaie); Takatsukasa and Kuroda (part), Tori, 1, 1915, p. 64 (Kusaie).

Erythrura kittlitziBonaparte, Consp. Avium, 1, 1850, p. 457 (exBonaparte MSS.) (Type locality, Ualan); Gray, Hand-list Birds, 2, 1870, p. 58 (Caroline Islands = Kusaie).

Erythrura trichros trichrosHartert (part), Novit. Zool., 7, 1900, p. 6 (Kusaie); Kuroda (part), in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, pp. 27, 29, 78 (Kusaie); Mayr (part), Amer. Mus. Novit., no. 489, 1931, p. 4 (Kusaie); Takatsukasa and Yamashina, Tori, 7, 1931, p. 110 (Kusaie); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 170 (Kusaie); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 189 (Kusaie); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 302 (Kusaie).

Chloromunia trichroa trichroaMathews (part), Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 2, 1930, p. 840 (Ualan).

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Caroline Islands—Kusaie.

Characters.—Adult: A small finch with thick, stout bill; head, neck, back, and scapulars between "parrot green" and "grass green"; forehead, orbital area, auriculars, and malar area bluish; sides of neck green tinged with yellowish; edge of forehead and lores blackish; wing-coverts and outer margins of wings yellowish-green; underparts like back but paler green; rump, upper tail-coverts and outer edges of tail feathers near "Pompeian red"; wing and tail feathers mostly brownish; bend of wing greenish; under wing-coverts brownish; axillaries buffy tinged with greenish; bill black; feet light yellowish-brown; iris brown. Adult female duller than male.

Immature: Resembles adult, but lacks bluish coloring on sides of head and on forehead; underparts washed with buffy brown; rump and tail duller carmine.

Measurements.—Measurements are listed intable 53.

Specimens examined.—Total number, 14 (12 males, 2 females), from Caroline Islands, AMNH—Kusaie (Feb., March, April).

Molt.—Specimens taken in February and March have mostly new feathers, molt having been almost completed when obtained.

Remarks.—Kittlitz was the first person to describe the Blue-faced Parrot-finch; he found it at Kusaie when he visited the island in the winter of 1827-28. Later, it was found to have an extensive range inMicronesia, Melanesia, northern Australia, Celebes, and the Moluccas. This small finch may be kept as a pet in a cage by native peoples, but as far as I know there is no evidence that the bird has been introduced to island areas as a result of this practice.

Table 53. Measurements ofErythrura trichroain Micronesia

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