NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Kiritimati Sandpiper
Prosobonia cancellata (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Christmas sandpiper or Kiritimati sandpiper (Prosobonia cancellata) is an extinct species of small shorebird in the family Scolopacidae. It became extinct some time in the first half of the 19th century. It was endemic to Christmas Island (now called Kiritimati), since 1919 a part of Kiribati. It is known solely from a single contemporaneous illustration (by William Wade Ellis), and a description by William Anderson, both made during the third circumnavigation voyage commanded by Captain James Cook, which visited the atoll of Christmas Island between 24 December 1777 and 2 January 1778.
Wikipedia contributors, Christmas sandpiper; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:44:01.392986+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Prosobonia cancellata (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
- Name authority
- (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
- Common name
- Kiritimati Sandpiper
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Prosobonia
- Extinction status
- Recorded extinct
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyScolopacidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusProsobonia Bonaparte, 1850
- speciesProsobonia cancellata (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Prosobonia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Moorea SandpiperProsobonia ellisi Sharpe, 1906 | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Tahiti SandpiperProsobonia leucoptera (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Tuamotu SandpiperProsobonia parvirostris (Peale, 1848) | ScolopacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Tringa cancellata J. F. Gmelin, 1789 J. F. Gmelin, 1789 | synonym |
| Tringa cancellatus J. F. Gmelin, 1789 J. F. Gmelin, 1789 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=562479 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4MVWJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.