Anas acuta modesta Tristram, 1886:79
Tristram's pintail, Sidney Island pintail (proposed)
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Dafila modesta Tristram, 1886
Not listed by (Dickinson, 2003).
Hume and Walters (2012:50) state that:
"As the population has now gone, it is impossible to confirm the validity of this bird."
However, there still remains the possibility of DNA extraction in order to ascertain the true taxonomic affinities of the Sidney Island pintail, as three museum specimens exist, and the possibility of finding subfossil remains which contain DNA cannot be ruled out as Hume and Walters indirectly imply that they can.
Conservation Status
Invalid (synonym)?
Last record: 1885 (Hume & Walters, 2012:50)
Distribution
Sidney Island (= Manra), Phoenix Group, Kiribati, Pacific (central)
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Only known from 3 specimens, all in the Liverpool Museum (Hume & Walters, 2012:50).
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Tristram, H. B. (1886). On an apparently new species of duck (Dafila) from the Central Pacific. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London [1886]: 79-80.
Other references:
Dickinson, E. C. (ed.). (2003). The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. London: Christopher Helm.
Hume, Julian Pender and Walters, Michael. (2012). Extinct Birds. London: T & AD Poyser.
Lister, J. J. (1891). Notes on the birds of the Phoenix Islands (Pacific Ocean). Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London [1891]: 289,298, 300.
Phillips, J. C. (1922-26). A Natural History of the Ducks. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin. 4 vols.
Salvadori, T. (1895). Catalogue of birds in the British Museum, volume 27. Catalogue of the Chenomorphae (Palamedeae, Phoenicopteri, Anseres), Crypturi, and Ratitae in the collection of the British Museum. London: Printed by order of the Trustees.