Part 105

Measurements.--Measurements are listed in table 45.

Specimens examined.--Total number, 30 (18 males, 12 females), as follows: Caroline Islands, USNM--Kusaie, 5 (Feb. 8); AMNH--Kusaie, 25 (Jan., Feb., March).

TABLE 45. MEASUREMENTS OF ADULT SPECIMENS OF Aplonis opacus

====================+============+=========+=======+========+=========== | Number | | | | Depth of SUBSPECIES | and | Wing | Tail | Full | culmen at | sex | | | culmen | nostril --------------------+------------+---------+-------+--------+----------- A. o. opacus | 15 males | 124 | 80 | 24 | 9.5 | | 121-125 | 76-85 | 24-26 | 9.0-10.0 | | | | | | 12 females | 119 | 77 | 24 | 9.0 | | 115-125 | 72-82 | 23-26 | 8.5-9.0 | | | | | A. o. ponapensis | 17 males | 133 | 87 | 27 | 9.5 | | 130-138 | 85-91 | 26-29 | 9.0-10.0 | | | | | | 11 females | 126 | 83 | 27 | 9.0 | | 122-127 | 81-85 | 26-28 | 8.5-9.0 | | | | | A. o. angus | 16 males | 129 | 88 | 28 | 9.5 | | 125-131 | 84-92 | 27-29 | 8.0-9.0 | | | | | | 7 females | 124 | 85 | 27 | 8.5 | | 121-129 | 83-88 | 25-28 | 8.0-9.0 | | | | | A. o. orii | 11 males | 128 | 86 | 27 | 7.5 | | 124-131 | 83-90 | 25-28 | 7.5-8.5 | | | | | | 7 females | 124 | 79 | 26 | 7.5 | | 121-126 | 77-82 | 25-27 | 7.5-8.0 | | | | | A. o. guami | 41 males | 128 | 86 | 27 | 9.5 | | 120-136 | 81-92 | 24-29 | 8.5-10.5 | | | | | | 32 females | 121 | 84 | 26 | 9.5 | | 117-126 | 78-89 | 24-30 | 8.5-10.5 --------------------+------------+---------+-------+--------+-----------

Remarks.--The Micronesian Starling at Kusaie was first taken by Kittlitz (1833:11), who named it in the following manner: "Turdus columbinus Gm. L. oder Lamproth. opaca Lichtenstein." The bird was later given the name of Calornis kittlitzi by Finsch and Hartlaub (1867:109). Oberholser (1917:59) has shown that the specific name opaca is applicable, since the manuscript name Lamprothornis opaca of Lichtenstein is made available by Kittlitz's published description and figure, and since it is the earliest name used. Mathews (1938:342) reports that the name Aplornis appeared a few days before the name Aplonis. I have been unable to check his source of information.

The Micronesia Starling is one of the most abundant birds at Kusaie. Coultas (field notes) observed the bird in all parts of the island, when he visited there in 1931. He found the bird in flocks of two to six or more and noted that birds in immature plumage seemed to outnumber the birds in adult plumage approximately five to one. This subspecies is characterized by the presence of only a slight amount of gloss on the black feathers of the adult.

=Aplonis opacus ponapensis= Takatsukasa and Yamashina

Micronesian Starling

Aplonis opaca ponapensis Takatsukasa and Yamashina, Tori, 7, 1931, p. 109. (Type locality, Ponapé.)

Calornis columbina Pelzeln, Reise "Novara," Vögel, 1865, pp. 88, 162 (Puynipet).

Calornis kittlitzi Finsch and Hartlaub (part), Fauna Centralpolynesiens, 1867, p. 109 (Puynipet); Schmeltz and Krause (part), Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, p. 298 (Ponapé).

Calornis opaca Gray (part), Hand-list Birds, 2, 1870, p. 27 (Seniavin = Ponapé).

Calornis pacificus Finsch (part), Journ. Mus. Godeffroy, 12, 1876, pp. 17, 32 (Ponapé); idem, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1877 (1878), p. 779 (Ponapé); idem (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1880, p. 289 (Ponapé); idem, (part), Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 576 (Ponapé).

Calornis pacifica Finsch, Ibis, 1881, p. 115 (Ponapé); idem, (part), Mitth. Ornith. Ver. Wien. 1884, p. 49 (Ponapé).

Aplonis kittlitzi Sharpe (part), Cat. Birds British Mus., 13, 1890, p. 136 (Ponapé); Wiglesworth (part), Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 44 (Ponapé); Bolau (part), Mitteil. Naturhist. Mus. Hamburg, 1898, p. 62 (Ponapé); Nehrkorn, Kat. Eiers., 1899, p. 122 (Ponapé); Matschie (part), Journ. f. Ornith., 1901, p. 112 (Ponapé); Takatsukasa and Kuroda (part), Tori, 1, 1915, p. 55 (Ponapé).

Lamprocorax kittlitzi Dubois (part), Syn. Avium, 1, 1902, p. 542 (Ponapé).

Aplonis opaca Wetmore (part), in Townsend and Wetmore, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 63, 1919, p. 219 (Ponapé); Mayr. Proc. 6th Pacific Sci. Congr., 4, 1941, p. 204 (Ponapé).

Aplonis kittlitzi kittlitzi Momiyama (part), Tori, 2, 1920, p. 1 (Ponapé).

Aplonis opaca opaca Momiyama (part), Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 12 (Ponapé); Kuroda (part), in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 70 (Ponapé).

Aplonis opaca ponapensis Yamashina, Tori, 7, 1932, p. 394 (Ponapé); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 170 (Ponapé).

Aplonis opaca ponapensis Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 188 (Ponapé).

Aplonis opacus ponapensis Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 297 (Ponapé).

Geographic range.--Micronesia: Caroline Islands--Ponapé.

Characters.--Adult: Resembles A. o. opacus, but larger with a longer bill and richer green luster on the back and breast.

Immature: Resembles immature of A. o. opacus, but underparts more brightly streaked but still dingy in appearance.

Measurements.--Measurements are listed in table 45.

Specimens examined.--Total number, 47 (31 males, 16 females), as follows: Caroline Islands, USNM--Ponapé, 1 (Feb. 11); AMNH--Ponapé, 46 (Nov., Dec.).

Nesting.--Yamashina (1932a:394) reports the taking of an egg on August 2, 1931, and two eggs on August 30, 1931, at Ponapé. Coultas (field notes) writes that the nests of these birds are hidden in the tops of the tree-ferns and in holes in the trees. The natives told him that the starling lays two eggs.