Molecular evidence for the identity of the Magenta petrel

A lone petrel was shot from the decks of an Italian warship (the 'Magenta') while it was sailing the South Pacific Ocean in 1867, far from land. The species, unknown to science, was named the 'Magenta petrel' (Procellariiformes, Procellariidae, Pterodroma magentae). No other spec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular ecology resources 2009-03, Vol.9 (2), p.458-461
Main Authors: LAWRENCE, HAYLEY A, MILLAR, CRAIG D, IMBER, MICHAEL J, CROCKETT, DAVID E, ROBINS, JUDITH H, SCOFIELD, R. PAUL, TAYLOR, GRAEME A, LAMBERT, DAVID M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
cytochrome b
Marine
mitochondrial
museum specimen
phylogenetics
phylogeny
Procellariidae
Procellariiformes
Pterodroma
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Summary:A lone petrel was shot from the decks of an Italian warship (the 'Magenta') while it was sailing the South Pacific Ocean in 1867, far from land. The species, unknown to science, was named the 'Magenta petrel' (Procellariiformes, Procellariidae, Pterodroma magentae). No other specimens of this bird were collected and the species it represented remained a complete enigma for over 100 years. We compared DNA sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene from the Magenta petrel to that of other petrels using phylogenetic methods and ancient DNA techniques. Our results strongly suggest that the Magenta petrel specimen is a Chatham Island taiko. Furthermore, given the collection location of the Magenta petrel, our finding indicates that the Chatham Island taiko forages far into the Pacific Ocean (near South America). This has implications for the conservation of the taiko, one of the world's rarest seabirds.
ISSN:1755-0998
1755-098X
1755-0998
DOI:10.1111/j.1755-0998.2008.02370.x