Caloenas G. R. GRAY 1840
Creators: name: Worthy, Trevor H.
name: Burley, David V.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Aves
Columbiformes
Columbidae
Caloenas

description: GENUS CALOENAS G.R. GRAY, 1840
Remarks: The genus Caloenas is represented by one extant species, the Nicobar pigeon Caloenas nicobarica (Linnaeus, 1758). This is a large pigeon, with spectacular plumage, that is restricted to insular parts of Southeast Asia through Indonesia and New Guinea, extending to the Solomons (Dickinson & Remsen, 2013). The extinct species Caloenas canacorum Balouet & Olson, 1989 was described from New Caledonia based on three coracoids, part of a sternum, two scapulae and a distal humerus, which reveal a bird some 25% larger than the Nicobar pigeon (Balouet & Olson, 1989). Steadman (1989, 2006a) referred specimens from Tonga (archaeological sites on Lifuka, Ha'ano and Ha'afeva in the Ha'apai Group) to Caloenas cf. nicobarica. In addition, there is a single specimen of a third species, Caloenas maculata (Gmelin, 1789), collected historically from an unknown location before 1783. This specimen is a bird 32 cm long, smaller than C. nicobarica (40 cm), and has been confirmed as a member of Caloenas based on molecular data (Heupink et al., 2014). Tongan specimens referred to C. canacorum cannot be C. maculata, because they are of similar size to the New Caledonian bones, and thus are from a much larger taxon.
Thespecimenslistedbelowallrepresentalargepigeon distinct from Ducula, and thus differ substantially from the giant form described below in that genus. They are identified as being from a species of Caloenas because of the combination of features observed in the coracoid, tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus (Fig. 3). Coracoid: with the cotyla scapularis elongated laterosternally into an acute angle, and the tuberculum A (Worthy, 2012) globose, dorsally prominent over the sulcus supracoracoideus and with a relatively narrow separation from the cotyla scapularis. Sternally, the impressio m. sternocoracoidei is pneumatic and widely separated from the medial margin by a dorsoventrally thickened (inflated) section of the corpus extending from the angulus medialis. Tibiotarsus: distal end, craniocaudal depth of condylus medialis greater than distal width; proximal attachment for retinaculum extensorium tibiotarsi (ptRET) close to condylus medialis (separation less than proximodistal length of condyle); distal attachment for retinaculum extensorium tibiotarsi (dtRET) is wider than long; the sulcus extensorius is bounded laterally by a rounded ridge (not sharp crest). Tarsometatarsus: elongate, but fossa parahypotarsalis medialis nearly reaches fossa metatarsi I; foramen vascularia proximalia both small; tuberositas m. tibialis cranialis deep set in sulcus extensorius, not prominent; anterior facies adjacent to sulcus extensorius flat to slightly convex; and trochlea metatarsi IV not deeply notched distoplantarly and ends proximad to trochlea metatarsi II.
description: Published as part of Worthy, Trevor H. & Burley, David V., 2020, Prehistoric avifaunas from the Kingdom of Tonga, pp. 998-1045 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 189 on page 1005