''Pampusana'' is a mid-sized

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of ground-dwelling

dove Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

s (

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Columbidae) which occur in rainforests in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

region. They are not closely related to the American ground doves ( genus ''Columbina'' and related genera).

Systematics and extinctions

This genus was previously named ''Alopecoenas'' Sharpe, 1899, but ''Pampusana'' Bonaparte, 1855 has priority. ''Pampusana'' might be ranked as a (very small)

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

, but the available data suggests that they are better considered part of a quite basal

radiation In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes: * ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visi ...

Columbidae Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

which consists of many small and often bizarre lineages; for example, '' Goura'' and '' Otidiphaps'' which are

ecological Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

ly convergent to

Galliformes Galliformes is an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds that includes turkeys, chickens, quail, and other landfowl. Gallinaceous birds, as they are called, are important in their ecosystems as seed dispersers and predators, and are often ...

, and maybe even the famous

didine The Raphinae are a clade of extinct flightless birds formerly called didines or didine birds. They inhabited the Mascarene Islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues, but became extinct through hunting by humans and predation by introduced non-native ma ...

s (Raphinae). Currently about 10 species of ''Pampusana'' are extant. Of the larger genera of Columbidae, ''Pampusana'' is the one most affected by

extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

: 3–4 species have disappeared since the 18th century, and most of the remaining are decreasing in numbers, threatened with extinction or have lost subspecies due to habitat destruction, invasive species, or overhunting. In addition, there are several species never studied alive but known from

subfossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...

bones. These became extinct during prehistory of the Southern Pacific region (c. 13000 BC – 1400 BC). The bones of ''Pampusana'' are distinct enough to usually recognize this genus with ease. Still, the evolutionary affiliation of extinct species is often uncertain. A considerable number of recognizably distinct now-extinct Polynesian taxa used to inhabit the area where the white-headed lineage (''P. jobiensis'', ''P. erythroptera'') and the

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from Indonesia's New Guinea in the west to Fiji in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Va ...

n expansion that brought about ''P. sanctaecrucis'' and ''P. stairi'' (and possibly ''P. rubescens'') would have met. These ground-doves were removed from ''

Gallicolumba ''Gallicolumba'' is a mid-sized genus of ground-dwelling doves (family Columbidae) which occur in rainforests on the Philippines. Local name 'punay' which is a general term for pigeons and doves. They are not closely related to the American groun ...

'' (which was non-monophyletic) and reassigned here.

List of species

The genus contains 13 species of which 3 became extinct in historical times: *

Wetar ground dove The Wetar ground dove (''Pampusana hoedtii'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae found on Wetar, Indonesia, and on Timor. Its natural habitats are monsoon forests and gallery forests, and possibly woodland and bamboos. Threatened by hab ...

, ''Pampusana hoedtii'' *

White-breasted ground dove The white-breasted ground dove, white-bibbed ground dove, or purple ground dove (''Pampusana jobiensis'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands. Its natural habi ...

, ''Pampusana jobiensis'' *

White-fronted ground dove The white-fronted ground dove or Caroline Islands ground dove (''Pampusana kubaryi'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to Micronesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical o ...

, ''Pampusana kubaryi'' *

Polynesian ground dove The Polynesian ground dove (''Pampusana erythroptera'') or ''Tutururu'' is a critically endangered species of bird in the family Columbidae. Originally endemic to the Society Islands and Tuamotus in French Polynesia, it has now been extirpated ...

, ''Pampusana erythroptera'' *

White-throated ground dove The white-throated ground dove (''Pampusana xanthonura'') is a species of ground dove in the genus ''Gallicolumba''. It is classified as near-threatened. This species was formerly in the genus ''Alopecoenas'' Sharpe, 1899, but the name of the ...

, ''Pampusana xanthonura'' * † Norfolk ground dove, ''Pampusana norfolkensis'' -

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

(c.1800) *

Tongan ground dove The Tongan ground dove (''Pampusana stairi''), also known as the shy ground dove or friendly ground dove, is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in American Samoa, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Wallis and Futuna Islands. Its natura ...

, ''Pampusana stairi'' * Santa Cruz ground dove, ''Pampusana sanctaecrucis'' * †

Tanna ground dove The Tanna ground dove (''Pampusana ferruginea''), also known as Forster's dove of Tanna, is an extinct dove species. Its taxonomic affiliation is uncertain but at its first scientific discussion by Johann Georg Wagler in 1829 it was classified in ...

, ''Pampusana ferruginea'' -

(late 18th-19th century) * † Thick-billed ground dove, ''Pampusana salamonis'' -

(mid-20th century) *

Marquesan ground dove The Marquesan ground dove (''Pampusana rubescens'') is a bird species in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to French Polynesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland. It was ...

, ''Pampusana rubescens'' * Bronze ground dove, ''Pampusana beccarii'' * Palau ground dove, ''Pampusana canifrons'' A further 4 species became extinct in prehistoric times: * † Rota ground dove, ''Gallicolumba'' sp. -

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

* †

Great ground dove The great ground dove (''Pampusana nui'') is an extinct species of bird in the family Columbidae. It was found in Mangaia in the southern Cook Islands, and in French Polynesia where subfossil bones between 1000 and 2000 years old have been fou ...

, ''Pampusana nui'' -

* † Henderson ground dove, ''Pampusana leonpascoi'' -

* †

New Caledonian ground dove The New Caledonian ground dove (''Pampusana longitarsus'') is a large, extinct species of ''Pampusana'' ground dove in the pigeon family, and the largest member of its genus. It was endemic to the island of New Caledonia in Melanesia in the so ...

, ''Pampusana longitarsus'' -

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q25269454, from2=Q16527983 Bird genera Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte