Ardea, LINNAEUS, 1758

ARDEA LINNAEUS, 1758 View in CoL

ARDEA MODESTA J. E. GRAY, 1831 View in CoL , WHITE HERON / EASTERN GREAT EGRET

Material: Falevai: Ka2.05.13.14, pL fem (lacking proximal three-quarters of trochanter), NISP = 1, MNI = 1. Vuna: Pa1.04.11.08a, dR tib, NISP = 1, MNI = 1.

Remarks: Ardea modesta is treated as a distinct species, following Gill et al. (2010) and references therein. It is distributed from Asia to Australasia including the Solomons, where it is ‘mostly vagrant’ ( Dickinson & Remsen, 2013). These specimens were compared with the respective elements from multiple specimens each of Ardea modesta , Egretta sacra ( Gmelin, 1789) , Egretta novaehollandiae ( Latham, 1790) and Nycticorax caledonicus Gmelin, 1789 .

The proximal femur is distinctive, although the proximal three-quarters of the trochanter is lost,because it preserves the distal part of the trochanter and the scars for m. iliotrochanterica cranialis and the m. ischiofemoralis. Its width (6.5 mm) at the distal end of the trochanter is greater than in Ny. caledonicus (5.4–6.4 mm, N = 10) and much bigger than that of Eg. novaehollandiae (e.g. 5.0 mm, SAM B.32854) or Eg. sacra . The specimen shows that the crista trochanteris extends distally well past the level of the scar for m. iliotrochanterica cranialis, as seen in Ardea and Egretta , rather than being relatively short and ending level with that scar in Nycticorax . Also, in Ardea and Egretta , there is a shallow notch, seen in lateral aspect, caudally slightly distal to the obturator impression, but this notch is much deeper and more distally placed in Nycticorax . In all features, the Tongan bone matched Ardea modesta , e.g. SAM B.31393.

The distal tibiotarsus Pa1.04.11.08a shares with Ardea modesta and Eg. novaehollandiae some features and differs from Nycticorax in several ways: the shaft is relatively more slender; the medial margin of the pons supratendineus is narrowly separated from the shaft margin (in Nycticorax , the separation is wider, being absolutely wider than the width of the sulcus extensorius); the condylus lateralis is more cranially projecting and forms a near right angle with the shaft proximally (less projecting, slopes distally at proximal margin with shaft); in anterior view, the condylus lateralis projects laterad of the shaft (not so); in distal aspect, the incisura intercondylaris is broad, wider than the width of condylus lateralis and flat bottomed (narrower, round bottomed); the notch in condylus medialis distally is poorly marked (well marked); and in lateral view, the scar for the fibular retinaculum ends well proximad to the level of the proximal side of condylus lateralis (same level). The size of Pa1.04.11.08a matches that of Ardea modesta ( Table 18) and is considerably larger than Eg. sacra or Eg. novaehollandiae . Therefore, the Tongan specimens cannot be referred to a species of Nycticorax and fit in qualitative features and in size with Ardea modesta , and thus are referred to this taxon, which is not a resident of Tonga. These specimens, therefore, probably represent vagrants from areas more west, such as the Solomons.

CHARADRIIFORMES HUXLEY, 1867 View in CoL

LARIDAE RAFINESQUE, 1815 View in CoL