[Ornithology • 2024] Oceanites barrosi • Resolving the Conflictive Phylogenetic Relationships of Oceanites (Procellariiformes: Oceanitidae) with the Description of A New Species

Oceanites barrosi 

 Norambuena, Barros, Jaramillo, Medrano, Gaskin, King, Baird & Hernádez, 2024

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5486.4.1 

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Abstract

The family Oceanitidae, formerly considered a subfamily of Hydrobatidae, includes all the small storm-petrels of the southern hemisphere. The ancestor-descendent relationships and evolutionary history of one of its genera, Oceanites, have been partially studied, yielding contrasting results. We revised the phylogenetic relationships of this group using Bayesian inference (BI) based on new sequence data of the mitochondrial gene Cytb and linear morphological measurements of all species and five subspecies-level taxa in Oceanites, including a new taxon from the Chilean Andes. Our BI results show that the Oceanites genus is monophyletic and composed of four well-supported clades (posterior probability > 0.95): (1) chilensis; (2) exasperatus; (3) gracilis, pincoyae, and barrosi sp. nov.; and (4) oceanicus and galapagoensis. The species O. chilensis is a basal clade within Oceanites. According to our time-calibrated tree, the split between Oceanites and the other genera in Family Oceanitidae is estimated to be ~35.9 Mya, and the oldest divergence within Oceanites (the split between O. chilensis and other Oceanites) was dated to the early Miocene, around c. 21.3 Mya. The most probable geographic origin of Oceanites is the Southern Ocean. The morphological data suggest continuous size variation between Oceanites taxa, ranging from smallest in gracilis to largest in exasperatus. Based on our phylogenetic hypothesis, and morphological analyses, we suggest elevating to species status the taxa galapagoensis, chilensis, and exasperatus, and we describe a new taxon barrosi sp. nov., thus recognizing a total of seven species within the genus Oceanites.

Aves, evolution, storm-petrels, systematics, taxonomy

Phylogenetic hypothesis of the genus Oceanites based on BeAST from Cytb gene. Numbers on nodes are posterior probability values from the Bayesian analysis. outgroups are not shown. Inset illustration Oceanites pincoyae from Handbook of the Birds of the World.

Type specimen of Oceanites barrosi sp. nov., specimen no. LACM 25182, Natural History Museum of los Angeles County uSA, preserved as a study skin: adult female, collected by Rafael Barros Valenzuela in río Blanco, los Andes province, Valparaíso region, Chile (latitude 32°54’32.06”S, longitude 70°18’15.30”W, elevation 1,402 m), on 7 April 1924.

Live individual of Oceanites barrosi sp. nov. captured by Rodrigo Barros in río Blanco, Los Andes province, Valparaíso region, Chile (latitude 32°54’S, longitude 70°18’W, elevation 1,400 m), on 9 January 2022.

Oceanites barrosi sp. nov. 

Andean Storm-Petrel

golondrina de mar andina (Chilean name)

 

Diagnosis: Typical Oceanites structure with (1) small size (Table S3) with short rounded wings, notably short inner wing, and broadly rounded “hand” compared to Hydrobatidae. Oceanites barrosi sp. nov. wing is, on average, larger than in O. chilensis but smaller than in O. pincoyae. At the same time, its tail and tarsus measurements are smaller than in O. chilensis and larger than in O. pincoyae (Table S3). Noticeably smaller than O. exasperatus and somewhat smaller than O. oceanicus mainly in wing and tail length (Table S3). (2) restricted white tips on the belly, never as extensive as in O. galapagoensis, O. gracilis, or O. pincoyae, but typically not dark-bellied like O. chilensis, O. oceanites, and O. exasperatus. (3) Bold double pale line on underwing due to pale tipping on...

Etymology: The chosen scientific name barrosi refers to Rafael Barros Valenzuela (1890–1972) a Chilean ornithologist who first recorded specimens of Oceanites around the Andean mountains of Aconcagua, Chile. rafael Barros was one of the most prolific ornithologists in Chile during the 20th century, and we name this species in recognition of his work. The holotype specimen was collected by him (lACM 25182) on 7 April 1924.

English name: We propose the name Andean Storm-Petrel due to its unique breeding area. Although a nest has not yet been found, the Andean Storm-Petrel is seen going in and out of high elevation areas during the breeding season, and many recently fledged juveniles have been found in elevations above the city of Santiago (Barros 2017).

Wing views of live individuals of Oceanites barrosi sp. nov. captured by rodrigo Barros in río Blanco, los Andes province, Valparaíso region, Chile (latitude 32°54’S, longitude 70°18’W, elevation 1,400 m), on 9 January 2022. The number in the photo identifies the captured specimen.

Heraldo V. Norambuena, Rodrigo Barros, Álvaro Jaramillo, Fernando Medrano, Chris Gaskin, Tania King, Karen Baird, Cristián E. Hernádez. 2024. Resolving the Conflictive Phylogenetic Relationships of Oceanites (Oceanitidae: Procellariiformes) with the Description of A New Species.  Zootaxa. 5486(4); 451-475. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5486.4.1

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[PaleoOrnithology • 2024] Ardenna buchananbrowni • A New Diving Pliocene Ardenna Shearwater (Procellariiformes: Procellariidae) from New Zealand

Ardenna buchananbrowni 

 Tennyson, Salvador, Tomotani & Marx, 2024

DOI: 10.3390/taxonomy4020012 

 Abstract

We report a new species of shearwater, Ardenna buchananbrowni sp. nov., from the Pliocene of New Zealand. It is both the smallest and oldest known diving member of the genus, demonstrating that this now abundant form of shearwater has had a long presence in southern oceans. Ardenna buchananbrowni sp. nov. is among the few extinct shearwaters described from the Southern Hemisphere and adds to an increasingly diverse seabird assemblage in the Pliocene of the region.

Keywords: biogeography; fossil; Piacenzian; Procellariiformes; Tangahoe Formation; Taranaki; Waipipian

Systematic Palaeontology

Order Procellariiformes Fürbringer, 1888

  

The present fossils belong to Procellariiformes because of their straight, deeply grooved beaks, prominent dorsally opening nostrils, enlarged nasal glands above the eyes, and long, narrow wing bones.

  

Family Procellariidae Leach, 1820

  

The present fossils belong to Procellariidae because of their intermediate size (Diomedeidae are larger, Oceanitidae and Hydrobatidae smaller), gracile beaks, and dorsally projecting nostrils.

  

Genus Ardenna Reichenbach, 1853

Type species: Procellaria gravis O’Reilly, 1818.

  

Ardenna buchananbrowni sp. nov. 

 Alan J. D. Tennyson, Rodrigo B. Salvador, Barbara M. Tomotani and Felix G. Marx. 2024. A New Diving Pliocene Ardenna Shearwater (Aves: Procellariidae) from New Zealand. Taxonomy. 4(2), 237-249. DOI: 10.3390/taxonomy4020012 

[PaleoOrnithology • 2023] Plotornis archaeonautes • Stem Albatrosses wandered Far: A New Species of Plotornis (Aves: Pan-Diomedeidae) from the earliest Miocene of New Zealand

 

 Plotornis archaeonautes

 Ksepka, Tennyson, Richards & Fordyce, 2023

DOI: 10.1080/03036758.2023.2266390 

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ABSTRACT

Albatrosses are among the most intensely studied groups of living birds, yet their fossil record remains sparse. Despite modern albatrosses being more abundant and widespread in the Southern Hemisphere, the vast majority of fossil albatrosses identified to date come from Northern Hemisphere localities. Here, we describe Plotornis archaeonautes sp. nov., a new albatross species from the earliest Miocene that represents the earliest record of Procellariiformes in New Zealand and the earliest uncontroversial record of the clade Pan-Diomedeidae from the Southern Hemisphere. Phylogenetic analyses support the placement of Plotornis outside of the clade uniting all extant albatrosses. The new fossil reveals that stem lineage albatrosses were widespread by the onset of the Neogene. Although the humerus of Plotornis archaeonautes exhibits a short processus supracondylaris dorsalis, this early species may have possessed at least one of the unique ossifications associated with the patagial bracing system present in modern albatrosses.

 Holotype (OU 22690: A-I, M-P, S-T) and referred specimens (NMNZ S48291: J-L, NMNZ S47315: Q-R) of Plotornis archaeonautes.
Beak tip in A, lateral and B, ventral views, C, skull roof in dorsal view, cervical vertebra 12 in D, cranial, E, lateral and F, dorsal views, fragment of left humerus in G, caudal and H, cranial views, I, proximal end of right ulna in proximal view, referred right tarsometatarsus in J, proximal, K, dorsal and L, plantar views, right humerus in M, caudal and N, cranial views, left radius in O, ventral (rotated slightly) and P, distal views, referred left radius in Q, ventral and R, dorsal views, S, proximal portion of right carpometacarpus in ventral view, T, shaft of left carpometacarpus in dorsal view.

Abbreviations: fgn: fossa glandulae nasalis; fos: fossa housing subdivided pneumatic foramen; fur: furrow on lateral face of beak, gr: groove formed where furrow meets tomial margin; pf: pneumatic foramen; pp: processus pisiformis; st: sulcus tendineus; tb: tubercle at distal end of radius; tm: tomial margin; tmp: tubercle for the insertion of m. pectoralis.

Aves Linnaeus, 1758

Procellariiformes Fürbringer, 1888

Pan-Diomedeidae G.R. Gray, 1840

Plotornis Milne-Edwards Citation1874

Type Species. Plotornis delfortrii Milne-Edwards Citation1874

Included Species. Plotornis delfortrii, Plotornis graculoides and Plotornis archaeonautes (sp. nov.)

Comments. Pan-Diomedeidae is used here as a name for the albatross total group, i.e. all taxa more closely related to Diomedeidae than to any of the other extant clades of Procellariiformes.

Plotornis archaeonautes sp. nov.

Type Locality and Horizon. Earliest Miocene (Aquitanian) Mount Harris Formation, Hakataramea Quarry, South Canterbury, New Zealand (New Zealand Fossil Record Number I40/f442).

Diagnosis. Plotornis archaeonautes differs from Plotornis delfortrii in the more proximodistally elongated tuberculum supracondylare ventrale, shallower fossa m. brachialis, and less ventrally deflected proximal tip of the condylus dorsalis, and differs from Plotornis graculoides in having a more weakly developed tubercle at the distal end of the crista deltopectoralis, a less widened proximal end of the tarsometatarsus (relative to shaft width), and a more distal origin of the crista plantaris lateralis of the tarsometatarsus.

Measurements. Humerus distal width 19.5 mm (Plotornis delfortrii: ∼18.0 mm; Plotornis graculoides: 19.0 mm), tarsometatarsus proximal width 14.0 mm as preserved, estimated 15.0 mm when complete (Plotornis delfortrii: 12.6 mm; Plotornis graculoides: ∼14.5 mm).

Etymology. From the Greek ἀρχαῖος (ancient) + ναύτης (mariner). The name reflects the ancient age and the wide oceanic range of Plotornis albatrosses, and makes allusion to the fabled albatross of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Daniel T. Ksepka, Alan J. D. Tennyson, Marcus D. Richards and R. Ewan Fordyce. 2023. Stem Albatrosses wandered Far: A New Species of Plotornis (Aves, Pan-Diomedeidae) from the earliest Miocene of New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand [Special issue: Fossil vertebrates from southern Zealandia]. DOI: 10.1080/03036758.2023.2266390

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[PaleoOrnithology • 2023] Macronectes tinae • A New Giant Petrel (Macronectes, Aves: Procellariidae) from the Pliocene of Taranaki, New Zealand

Macronectes tinae 

Tennyson & Salvador, 2023

DOI: 10.3390/taxonomy3010006 

tepapa.govt.nz

Illustration by Simone Giovanardi 

Abstract

A new species of giant petrel, Macronectes tinae sp. nov., is described from the Pliocene deposits of South Taranaki, New Zealand. The holotype is a near complete skull and the paratype a fragmentary left humerus; both come from the Tangahoe Formation, dating from the late Pliocene (Piacenzian or “Waipipian”; age estimated as ca. 3.36–3.06 Ma). The new species of giant petrel is the first fossil Macronectes ever reported. It is morphologically similar to the two present-day Macronectes spp., but it was a smaller bird. The skull is diagnosed by its overall smaller size, a proportionately longer apertura nasi ossea, and potentially by a shorter os supraocciptale. The humerus is diagnosed from both species by a proportionately less deep shaft, a more prominent medial portion of the epicondylus ventralis, and a larger and fusiform fossa medialis brachialis. The Tangahoe Formation is proving to be a remarkable source of marine vertebrate fossils and an important piece of the puzzle in understanding the evolution and biogeography of seabirds.

Keywords: Macronectes tinae sp. nov.; Piacenzian; Procellariiformes; Tangahoe Formation; Waipipian

Macronectes tinae in its palaeoenvironment.

Illustration by Simone Giovanardi 

 Macronectes tinae sp. nov.

Alan J. D. Tennyson and Rodrigo B. Salvador. 2023. A New Giant Petrel (Macronectes, Aves: Procellariidae) from the Pliocene of Taranaki, New Zealand. Taxonomy. 3(1), 57-67. DOI: 10.3390/taxonomy3010006

  blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2023/02/01/the-first-giant-petrel-fossils/

[Ornithology • 2022] Fregetta lineata (Peale, 1848) is A Valid Extant Species Endemic to New Caledonia

Fregetta lineata (Peale, 1848)

 in Bretagnolle, Flood, Gaba & Shirihai, 2022.  

DOI: 10.25226/bboc.v142i1.2022.a6 

 twitter.com/BirdCaledonia 

Abstract

We present evidence that confirms the streaked Fregetta lineata is a valid extant species that breeds on New Caledonia and endorse the vernacular name New Caledonian Storm Petrel. We review taxonomic deliberations over the historic five ‘Pealea’ streaked storm petrel specimens. Three belong to the recently rediscovered New Zealand Storm Petrel F. maoriana. We study six biometrics of the other two identical-looking specimens, one from Samoa, the other from the Marquesas Islands, a third ‘new’ specimen collected off Brisbane, and other Fregetta taxa. Results of Principal Component Analyses, Discriminant Analyses, and a review of phylogenetic relationships between Fregetta storm petrels, F. lineata and F. maoriana, lead us to conclude that the three specimens represent a single taxon, F. lineata. Furthermore, F. lineata is clearly separated from F. maoriana, White-bellied Storm Petrel F. grallaria and Black-bellied Storm Petrel F. tropica. We further conclude that storm petrels photographed at sea, off New Caledonia and in the Coral Sea, are F. lineata. We then redescribe F. lineata from at-sea observations, photographs taken at sea, and study of the three museum specimens. Criteria for in-hand and at-sea identification are presented. We report the first breeding record, from New Caledonia, a grounded fledgling presumably disoriented by onshore artificial lights. We explore likely breeding locations and conservation issues.

Comparison of ‘streaked’ White-bellied Storm Petrel Fregetta g. grallaria with New Zealand Storm Petrel F. maoriana and New Caledonian Storm Petrel F. lineata.

(A) White-bellied Storm Petrel, Lord Howe Island, Australia, April 2019 (David Newell, birdlifephotography.org.au). (B) White-bellied Storm Petrel, Lord Howe Island, February 2017 (Mark Lethlean, birdlifephotography.org.au). (C) White-bellied Storm Petrel, Lord Howe Island, date unknown (Jack Shick, lhirodenteradicationproject.org/plants-animals/birds).

 (D) New Zealand Storm Petrel, Hauraki Gulf, North Island, New Zealand, November 2018 (Hadoram Shirihai, © Tubenoses Project).

(E) New Caledonian Storm Petrel, off Nouméa, New Caledonia, January 2020 (Hadoram Shirihai, © Tubenoses Project). (F) New Caledonian Storm Petrel, off Nouméa, New Caledonia, January 2020 (Hadoram Shirihai, © Tubenoses Project).

Rarely, individuals of all populations of F. grallaria have limited fine streaking, for example (A) and (B), narrow and close to feather shafts, never in rows of oval dapples characteristic of F. lineata, for example (E) and (F), or forming straighter lines characteristic of F. maoriana (D). A few extreme examples of F. g. grallaria from Lord Howe possess broader flanks streaking, e.g. (C), but never covering the whole belly.

Comparison of underparts and underwing patterns of New Caledonian Storm Petrel Fregetta lineata (n = 30), off Nouméa, New Caledonia, January 2020 (top row)
and New Zealand Storm Petrel F. maoriana (n = 43), Hauraki Gulf, North Island, New Zealand, November 2018 (bottom row).

New Caledonian Storm Petrel Fregetta lineata, off Nouméa, New Caledonia, January 2020

 (Hadoram Shirihai, © Tubenoses Project)

New Caledonian Storm Petrel Fregetta lineata

New Caledonian Storm Petrel Fregetta lineata, Port Bouraké, New Caledonia, 26 September 2014; the first documented fledgling; note traces of down on head, stripes on belly diagnostic of F. lineata, narrow white fringes on dorsal feathers and upperwing (the latter most typical of F. grallaria)

(photographer unknown, images supplied by L. Renaudet)

Vincent Bretagnolle, Robert L. Flood, Sabrina Gaba and Hadoram Shirihai. 2022. Fregetta lineata (Peale, 1848) is A Valid Extant Species Endemic to New Caledonia. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club, 142(1):111-130. DOI: 10.25226/bboc.v142i1.2022.a6

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[PaleoOrnithology • 2019] Aldiomedes angustirostris • A Small, Narrow‐beaked Albatross from the Pliocene of New Zealand demonstrates A Higher Past Diversity in the Feeding Ecology of the Diomedeidae

[upper]  Aldiomedes angustirostris Mayr & Tennyson, 2019

[lower] extant Black‐footed Albatross Phoebastria nigripes 

  DOI: 10.1111/ibi.12757 

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Abstract

We describe a nearly complete, three‐dimensionally preserved skull of a new albatross species from the late Pliocene (3.0–3.4 million years ago) Tangahoe Formation of New Zealand. Aldiomedes angustirostris, n. gen. et sp. has only about 90% of the length of the skull of the smallest extant albatross and is the geologically youngest record of a small‐sized albatross known to date. The new species is characterized by a mediolaterally compressed beak, which is not found in any living albatross. The small size and some cranial features of A. angustirostris indicate that, in spite of its comparatively young geological age, the new species was not part of crown group Diomedeidae. We hypothesize that A. angustirostris was more piscivorous than extant albatrosses, which predominantly feed on squid. The reasons for the extinction of smaller‐sized albatrosses are elusive but may be related to changes in seabird fauna during the Pliocene epoch, which witnessed the radiation of various non‐procellariiform seabird groups.

Keywords: Aldiomedes angustirostris, n. gen. et sp., Aves, evolution, palaeoecology

 Skull of Aldiomedes angustirostris, n. gen. et sp. from the late Pliocene of South Taranaki, New Zealand (holotype, NMNZ S.046313)

 Skull of Aldiomedes angustirostris, n. gen. et sp. [upper] from the late Pliocene of South Taranaki, New Zealand (holotype, NMNZ S.046313), in comparison with extant Black‐footed Albatross Phoebastria nigripes [lower].

Scale bars: 1 cm.

Figure 2: Skull of  Aldiomedes angustirostris, n. gen. et sp. from the late Pliocene of South Taranaki, New Zealand (holotype, NMNZ S.046313), in comparison with extant Diomedeidae (a, c, e, g: dorsal view; b, d, f, h: lateral view).
 (a, b, d) A. angustirostris; in (d), the neurocranium was digitally brought into its presumed natural position.
 (c, h) Black‐browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris. (e) Laysan Albatross Phoebastria immutabilis. (f,g) Black‐footed Albatross Phoebastria nigripes. Scale bars: 10 mm.

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Systematic Palaeontology

Aves Linnaeus, 1758

Procellariiformes Fürbringer, 1888

Diomedeidae Gray, 1840

Aldiomedes, n. gen.

Aldiomedes angustirostris, n. sp.

Differential diagnosis: Small‐sized albatross, which differs from all extant Diomedeidae (Phoebetria, Phoebastria, Thalassarche and Diomedea) in: smaller size (Table 1), beak mediolaterally narrower and culmen more ridge‐like, nostrils proportionally larger and with slit‐like caudal margin, fossae glandularum nasales narrower, processus paroccipitales more caudally directed, fossae temporales deeper, and crista nuchalis transversa more sharply defined.

Etymology: The taxon is named in honour of Alastair (‘Al’) Johnson, who found the holotype of the new species; the second part of the name refers to Diomedes, the Greek mythological figure, after which the albatross family was named.

Skull of  Aldiomedes angustirostris, n. gen. et sp. from the late Pliocene of South Taranaki, New Zealand (holotype, NMNZ S.046313)

Aldiomedes angustirostris, n. sp.

Etymology :The species epithet is derived from angustus (Lat.): narrow and rostrum (Lat.): beak and refers to the unusually narrow beak of the new species.

 Gerald Mayr and Alan J. D. Tennyson. 2019. A Small, Narrow‐beaked Albatross from the Pliocene of New Zealand demonstrates A Higher Past Diversity in the Feeding Ecology of the Diomedeidae. Ibis. DOI: 10.1111/ibi.12757

 twitter.com/WileyEcology/status/1151421314726596608

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[Ornithology • 2018] Pelecanoides whenuahouensis • Analyses of Phenotypic Differentiations Among South Georgian Diving Petrel (Pelecanoides georgicus) Populations Reveal An Undescribed and Highly Endangered Species from New Zealand

Pelecanoides whenuahouensis 

Fischer, Debski, Miskelly, Bost, Fromant, Tennyson, Tessler, Cole, Hiscock, Taylor & Wittmer, 2018

Whenua Hou Diving Petrel  ||   DOI:  10.1371/journal.pone.0197766 

Abstract

Unresolved taxonomy of threatened species is problematic for conservation as the field relies on species being distinct taxonomic units. Differences in breeding habitat and results from a preliminary molecular analysis indicated that the New Zealand population of the South Georgian Diving Petrel (Pelecanoides georgicus) was a distinct, yet undescribed, species. We measured 11 biometric characters and scored eight plumage characters in 143 live birds and 64 study skins originating from most populations of P. georgicus, to assess their taxonomic relationships. We analysed differences with principal component analyses (PCA), factorial ANOVAs, and Kruskal-Wallis rank sum tests. Results show that individuals from New Zealand differ significantly from P. georgicus from all other populations as following: 1) longer wings, 2) longer outer tail feathers, 3) deeper bills, 4) longer heads, 5) longer tarsi, 6) limited collar extent, 7) greater extent of contrasting scapulars, 8) larger contrasting markings on the secondaries, 9) paler ear coverts, 10) paler collars, and 11) paler flanks. Furthermore, we used a species delimitation test with quantitative phenotypic criteria; results reveal that the New Zealand population of P. georgicus indeed merits species status. We hereby name this new species Pelecanoides whenuahouensis sp. nov. Due to severe reductions in its range and the very low number of remaining birds (~150 individuals limited to a single breeding colony on Codfish Island/Whenua Hou) the species warrants listing as ‘Critically Endangered’. 

S1 Fig. Lateral view of the holotype of Pelecanoides whenuahouensis  (NMNZ OR.21058) (Johannes H. Fischer).

The new species of diving petrel, named Whenua Hou Pelecanoides whenuahouensis, is already marked as critically endangered. File size: 13.5 MB Attribution: Jake Osborne

Pelecanoides whenuahouensis sp. nov.  

Etymology: P. whenuahouensis is named after the name of Codfish Island in the Māori language/Te Reo Māori: Whenua Hou (pronounced 'fɛnua 'hou, meaning ‘new land’). This island hosts the only extant colony of this species. This name was selected by the Ngāi Tahu, the Māori people who still hold a genealogical, cultural, and spiritual connection to both the island and this species, which they consider a taonga (treasure).

Common name: We propose the English common name ‘Whenua Hou Diving Petrel’.

Generic placement: P. whenuahouensis clearly belongs in Pelecanoides (family: Pelecanoididae, order: Procellariiformes) based on a combination of black and white plumage, short, paddle-like wings, short tail, small and compact build, and bill morphology (short, broad based bill with hooked tip, a paraseptal process in nostrils, and gular pouch).

Diagnosis: P. whenuahouensis differs from P. garnottii, through bill morphology/coloration (a shorter, slimmer bill, with much smaller nostrils, the presence of lavender blue on the lower mandible, and a less well-defined paraseptal process (but both species have the paraseptal process placed at approximately 50%) and a smaller overall size (resulting in shorter wings, tarsi, and a much lower bodyweight). P. whenuahouensis, however, does appear to have a longer tail than P. garnottii. Furthermore, P. whenuahouensis exhibits 1) a much larger extent of contrasting ear coverts, 2) continuous and pure white scapulars, 3) a limited (light grey) collar, 4) much paler (light grey) flanks and axillaries, and 5) white underwings including primaries. In addition, P. whenuahouensis can also be readily distinguished from P. garnottii based on vocalisations.

......

Distribution: All known study skins of P. whenuahouensis originate from either Dundas Island, Enderby Island (both Auckland Islands, New Zealand), or Codfish Island, New Zealand. P. whenuahouensis remains extant only on Codfish Island, where it breeds in a minute (0.018 km2) strip of coastal, sandy foredunes in Sealers Bay. The historic distribution of P. whenuahouensis in New Zealand likely encompassed the Otago Peninsula on the South Island, Mason’s Bay on Stewart Island, Enderby and Dundas Islands on the Auckland Islands and the Chatham Islands.

The offshore distribution of P. whenuahouensis remains unknown. Prey species found in two specimens indicate that P. whenuahouensis forages on the edge of the continental shelf during the breeding season. The only documented P. georgicus record for Australia (Bellambi Beach, New South Wales) likely pertained to P. whenuahouensis, based on the reported biometrics (most notably a tail length of 41 mm), indicating at least considerable vagrancy potential, and perhaps a larger offshore distribution than previously assumed, as recently demonstrated in P. u. urinatrix.

Fig 6. Study skins of Pelecanoides georgicus from different populations (Johannes H. Fischer). (A) Dorsal view. (B) Ventral view. (C) Lateral view. SAO = NMNZ OR.18421; origin: South Georgia, U.K., South Atlantic Ocean. SIO = NMNZ OR.24768; origin: Heard Island, Australia, South Indian Ocean. NZ = NMNZ OR.21631; origin: Dundas Island, Auckland Islands, New Zealand. Note differences in bill depth (NZ having the highest/deepest), collar extent (SIO having the largest), extent of contrasting scapulars (NZ having the largest), and contrasting white markings on secondaries (NZ having the largest) among others.

Conclusion: 

Here, we provide evidence of the distinctiveness of the Whenua Hou Diving Petrel (Pelecanoides whenuahouensis sp. nov.; previously part of the South Georgian Diving Petrel P. georgicus complex), which is a ‘Critically Endangered’ species. The conservation status of this species has remained “hidden” to global conservation interests due to its inclusion in a polytypic “species”. New Zealand, however, maintains a national threat classification system and therefore, the dire situation of P. whenuahouensis has been acknowledged within New Zealand. Consequently, we advocate the continuing use of national threat classification systems, as in cases like this, it has complemented the global threat classification system, by protecting taxa for which the taxonomy is still unclear. In addition, we urge taxonomists to focus new research on polytypic species that are likely to include threatened taxa, for conservation efforts depend on species being a clear and single ecological unit.

Johannes H. Fischer, Igor Debski, Colin M. Miskelly, Charles A. Bost, Aymeric Fromant, Alan J. D. Tennyson, Jake Tessler, Rosalind Cole, Johanna H. Hiscock, Graeme A. Taylor and Heiko U. Wittmer. 2018. Analyses of Phenotypic Differentiations Among South Georgian Diving Petrel (Pelecanoides georgicus) Populations Reveal An Undescribed and Highly Endangered Species from New Zealand. PLoS ONE. 13(6): e0197766.  DOI:  10.1371/journal.pone.0197766

New diving petrel critically endangered  scimex.org/newsfeed/new-diving-petrel-critically-endangered