Pseudobulweria
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Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi |
Pseudobulweria is a genus of seabirds in the family Procellariidae. The genus has long been retained with the gadfly petrel genus Pterodroma despite morphological differences. Recent mtDNA cytochrome b sequence analysis has confirmed the split out of Ptereodroma and places the genus closer to the Puffinus shearwaters (Bretagnolle et al. 1998).
Three of the Pseduobulweria species are listed as critically endangered. The Fiji Petrel and Beck's Petrel are among the least well know seabird species on Earth, with the breeding colonies of the Beck's Petrel being completely unknown; both species have been seen very seldom since their discovery by science. The fourth species, the Tahiti Petrel, is a relatively common species across the Pacific Ocean and is listed as near threatened. One species of Pseudobulweria has been described from from subfossil remains on the Atlantic Ocean island of Saint Helena.
- Fiji Petrel, Pseudobulweria macgillivrayi
- Tahiti Petrel, Pseudobulweria rostrata
- Beck's Petrel, Pseudobulweria becki
- Mascarene Petrel, Pseudobulweria aterrima
- St Helena Petrel, Pseudobulweria rupinarum - extinct (early 16th century)
[edit] References
- Bretagnolle, Vincent; Attié, Carole & Pasquet, Eric (1998): Cytochrome-B evidence for validity and phylogenetic relationships of Pseudobulweria and Bulweria (Procellariidae). Auk 115(1): 188-195 PDf fulltext
- Brooke, Michael (2004): Albatrosses and Petrels across the World. Oxford University Press, Oxford, New York. ISBN 0-19-850125-0
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