_Ptilopus Hernsheimi_ Finsch., Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, p. 303.
(Type locality, Kuschai.)
_Ptilopus hernsheimi_ Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p.
577 (Kuschai); Reichenow and Schalow, Journ. f. Ornith., 1881, p.
75 (Kuschai); Finsch, Ibis, 1881, pp. 106, 107, 108 (Kushai);
Wiglesworth, Ibis, 1891, p. 583 (Ualan); _idem_, Abhandl. und Ber.
Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 51 (Ualan);
Salvadori, Cat. Birds British Mus., 21, 1893, p. 94 (Ualan);
Oustalet, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris, (3), 7, 1895, p. 222
(Oualan); Dubois, Syn. Avium, 2, 1904, p. 736 (Kuschai);
Reichenow, Die Vögel, 1, 1913, p. 355 (Kuschai); Wetmore, in
Townsend and Wetmore, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 63, 1919, p. 189
(Kusaie).
_Ptilinopus hernsheimi_ Matschie, Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, p. 113
(Ualan); Mathews, Syst. Avium Australasianarum, 1, 1927, p. 33
(Kusaie).
_Ptilinopus ponapensis hernsheimi_ Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds
Micronesia, 1922, p. 57 (Kusaie); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev.,
1932, p. 190 (Kusaie); Peters, Check-list Birds World, 3, 1937, p.
31 (Kusaie); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 212
(Kusaie).
_Ptilinopus marshallianus_ Peters and Griscom, Proc. New England
Zool. Club, 10, 1928, p. 104 (Type locality, Ebon); Hand-list
Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 190 (Ebon).
_Ptilinopus ponapensis marshallianus_ Peters, Check-list Birds
World, 3, 1937, p. 31 (Ebon); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed.,
1942, p. 213 (Ebon).
_Ptilinopus porphyraceus hernsheimi_ Ripley and Birckhead, Amer.
Mus. Novit., no. 1192, 1942, p. 6 (Kusaie, Ebon); Mayr, Birds
Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 289 (Kusaie).
_Geographic range._--Micronesia: Caroline Islands--Kusaie; Marshall
Islands--Ebon (extinct?).
_Characters._--Adult: Resembles _P. p. ponapensis_, but occiput,
nape, sides of head more gray and less greenish-yellow; chin and
midthroat paler; crown coloring very faintly margined with yellow;
tail band brighter yellow; under tail-coverts more orange;
abdominal spot may be present as a brownish-red tinge; abdomen
slightly more yellowish.
Immature: Resembles immature of _P. p. ponapensis_.
_Measurements._--Measurements are listed in table 25. Ripley and
Birckhead (1942:7) give the measurements of the only known
specimen from Ebon (Marshall Islands) as: wing, 124; tail, 74;
bill from base, 15.
_Specimens examined._--Total number, 11 (6 males, 5 females), as
follows: Caroline Islands, USNM--Kusaie, 1 (Feb. 9); AMNH--Kusaie,
10 (Jan., Feb., March, April).
_Remarks._--I am following Ripley and Birckhead (1942:6) in identifying
the dove from Ebon Island as of the subspecies _P. p. hernsheimi_. This
specimen from Ebon may, however, represent the final vestige of a
formerly well-distributed population in the Marshall Islands. This
distribution is of particular interest because it may show the pathway
by which these small fruit pigeons invaded eastern Micronesia from
Polynesia.
The small fruit dove at Kusaie has apparently the same habitat
requirements as others of the species. Coultas (field notes) comments
that in 1931 the birds were "quite common." He found them in the high
trees on the mountain sides away from the native villages and gardens.
=Ptilinopus porphyraceus pelewensis= Hartlaub and Finsch