Gallinago kakuki

History. — October 1937: three specimens from ‘ Great Exuma’ (= Little Exuma fide Hecht 1955) identified as ‘ Capella delicata (Ord.) ’, but said to probably ‘ represent an extinct species’ of large size (Wetmore 1937: 435). 25 March 1977: fossils from Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands, identified as a new, extinct large species of Capella (Morgan 1977 a: 68 – 73, b: 21; see Morgan 1994: 480 – 481). 5 August 1982: summary of the fossil record of this large snipe (as ‘ Capella sp. ’) in the West Indies, with comparisons of known material, including new specimens identified from Banana Hole, New Providence, Bahamas (Olson & Hilgartner 1982: 31 – 33). April 2004: recorded from Cuba as ‘ Capella sp. ’ on basis of four specimens, including one immature humerus which suggests the bird was a year-round resident in the Antillean subregion (Suárez 2004 b: 157). 9 May 2016: original description of G. kakuki published (Steadman & Takano 2016), which species seems to be more similar to Old World Gallinago.

Notes. — Remains of this snipe are sporadically found in Cuban cave deposits containing ancient barn owl pellets (cf. Tyto furcata and T. noeli). G. kakuki had a wider distribution in the West Indies that also included the Bahamas and Cayman Islands (Olson & Hilgartner 1982, Steadman & Takano 2016) where apparently it was a resident, endemic species (Suárez 2004 b, Steadman & Takano 2016). Probably the first material to be collected was from Isla de la Juventud (= Isla de Pinos), west Cuba, as Peterson (1917: 359) noted ‘ few limb-bones of snipes’ in the remains he studied, but this requires corroboration.

West Indian Snipe (Becasina Isleña)

Distribution. — Cave deposits in west and central Cuba (see Appendix). Pinar del Río. Los Palacios: PEA (Suárez 2004 b: 155 [‘ Capella sp. ’]). Sancti Spíritus. Yaguajay: SPH and SPS (Suárez 2004 b: 155 – 156 [‘ Capella sp. ’]). Direct 14 C dating. — None in Cuba. For dating of associated fauna from PEA (17,406 ± 161 14 C yr BP), see Suárez & Díaz-Franco (2003: 373).

Holotype. — Complete right humerus, UF 297382 (Steadman & Takano 2016: 348, figs. 3 A [anconal], 4 A [palmar]). Collected in 1958 – 60 by J. C. Dickinson et al. at the type locality (Steadman & Takano 2016: 348). Type locality. — Banana Hole, New Providence, Bahamas (Steadman & Takano 2016: 348). Referred material. — Humerus: right, MNHNCu 75.4709 (fig. 1: left [palmar]), OA 3138; left, MNHNCu 75.4711 (immature). Ulna: right, MNHNCu 75.4712 (fig. 1: right [palmar]). Cited material and figures are from Suárez (2004 b).