AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

Systematics of the extinct reed warblers Acrocephalus of the Society Islands of eastern Polynesia

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:2008
Authors:Cibois, A, Thibault, J-C, Pasquet, E
Journal:Ibis
Volume:150
Issue:2
Date Published:2008
ISBN Number:1474-919X
Keywords:Acrocephalus, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, French Polynesia, island biogeography, mtDNA, phylogeny, Polynesia, reed warblers, systematics
Abstract:In the Society archipelago (French Polynesia), Acrocephalus reed warblers are known only from four islands: Tahiti, Mo’orea, Huahine and Raiatea. All populations are now extinct except on Tahiti. Our knowledge of these birds is based on a small number of specimens preserved in museums, collected mostly during the 19th century. We present here a review of the past and present distribution, habitat and threats to the Society Islands reed warblers, including details on the specimens in museum collections. We compare the external morphology of the different populations, and use samples from museum specimens to propose a molecular phylogeny of all taxa based on partial cytochrome b gene sequences. The genetic data do not support the monophyly of the Society Islands reed warblers, which probably derived from three different lineages, found in Tahiti, Mo’orea and in the cluster Raiatea–Huahine. We outline the taxonomic consequences of this phylogeny. Our results support the hypothesis that evolutionary pattern, not distance between islands, shaped the long-distance colonization of oceanic islands by reed warblers.
URL:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919X.2008.00800.x
Short Title:Ibis
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith