Tasman Booby
Encyclopedia
The Tasman Booby or Lord Howe Masked Booby is a large seabird
of the gannet
family, Sulidae
, described from bones found on Norfolk
and Lord Howe Island
s in the Tasman Sea
(van Tets
et al. 1988). It was believed to have become extinct in the late 18th century or early 19th century on Lord Howe Island because of predation by visiting sailors, with the last sight record dating from 1788, when it was already extinct on Norfolk Island.
However, this taxon has more recently (Priddel et al. 2005) been considered to be a subspecies
of the Masked Booby
, Sula dactylatra tasmani, still extant as a breeding species on Lord Howe Island, and more recently described as S. d. fullagari. Holdaway & Anderson (2001) attribute subfossil material from Norfolk Island simply to Sula dactylatra. Research at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch New Zealand indicates that the proposal of Priddel's team is correct, and the Masked Booby subspecies fullagari is actually the descendants of tasmani. The latter name, being older, would thus apply to both.
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
of the gannet
Gannet
Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus Morus, in the family Sulidae, closely related to the boobies.The gannets are large black and white birds with yellow heads. They have long pointed wings and long bills. Northern gannets are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, with a wingspan of up...
family, Sulidae
Sulidae
The bird family Sulidae comprises the gannets and boobies. Collectively called sulidas, they are medium-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish and similar prey. The ten species in this family are often considered congeneric in older sources, placing all in the genus Sula...
, described from bones found on Norfolk
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
and Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, directly east of mainland Port Macquarie, and about from Norfolk Island. The island is about 11 km long and between 2.8 km and 0.6 km wide with an area of...
s in the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
(van Tets
Gerard Frederick van Tets
Gerard Frederick van Tets , otherwise known as Jerry van Tets, was a twentieth century English ornithologist and paleontologist. Born in London on 19 January 1929, he became a member of the American Ornithologists' Union in 1958 and studied at the University of British Columbia, obtaining his PhD...
et al. 1988). It was believed to have become extinct in the late 18th century or early 19th century on Lord Howe Island because of predation by visiting sailors, with the last sight record dating from 1788, when it was already extinct on Norfolk Island.
However, this taxon has more recently (Priddel et al. 2005) been considered to be a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Masked Booby
Masked Booby
The Masked Booby, Sula dactylatra, is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae. This species breeds on islands in tropical oceans, except in the eastern Atlantic; in the eastern Pacific it is replaced by the Nazca Booby, Sula granti, which was formerly regarded as a subspecies of Masked Booby...
, Sula dactylatra tasmani, still extant as a breeding species on Lord Howe Island, and more recently described as S. d. fullagari. Holdaway & Anderson (2001) attribute subfossil material from Norfolk Island simply to Sula dactylatra. Research at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch New Zealand indicates that the proposal of Priddel's team is correct, and the Masked Booby subspecies fullagari is actually the descendants of tasmani. The latter name, being older, would thus apply to both.