View source for Mollymawk

{{Short description|Genus of birds}}
{{About||the ship|HMAS Mollymawk}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name              = Mollymawk
| image             = Thalassarche cauta - SE Tasmania.jpg
| image_caption     = Shy albatross (''[[Thalassarche cauta]]'')
| taxon             = Thalassarche
| authority         = [[Ludwig Reichenbach|Reichenbach]], 1853
| type_species= ''[[Black-browed albatross|Diomedea melanophris]]''
| type_species_authority = [[Coenraad Jacob Temminck|Temminck]] 1828
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
| subdivision       = 
See text
| synonyms          =
''Diomedea'' <small>(''partim'')</small>
}}

The '''mollymawks''' are a group of medium-sized [[albatross]]es that form the [[genus]] '''''Thalassarche'''''. The name has sometimes been used for the genus ''[[Phoebetria]]'' as well, but these are usually called [[sooty albatross]]es. They are restricted to the [[Southern Hemisphere]], where they are the most common of the albatrosses. They were long considered to be in the same genus as the [[great albatross]]es, ''Diomedea'', but a study of their [[mitochondrial DNA]] showed that they are a [[monophyletic]] [[taxon]] related to the sooty albatrosses, and they were placed in their own genus.<ref name ="Nunn96" />

==Taxonomy==
The genus ''Thalassarche'' was introduced in 1853 by the German naturalist [[Ludwig Reichenbach]] with the [[black-browed albatross]] as the [[type species]].<ref>{{ cite book | last=Reichenbach | first=Ludwig | author-link=Ludwig Reichenbach | year=1853 | title=Handbuch der speciellen Ornithologie | language=German | location=Dresden und Leipzig | publisher=Expedition Vollständigsten Naturgeschichte  | page=V | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/47618635 }} For the publication date see: {{ cite book | last1=Dickinson | first1=E.C. | author1-link=Edward C. Dickinson | last2=Overstreet | first2=L.K. | last3=Dowsett | first3=R.J. | last4=Bob | first4=M.D. | year=2011 | title=Priority! The Dating of Scientific Names in Ornithology: a Directory to the literature and its reviewers | location=Northampton, UK | publisher=Aves Press | isbn=978-0-9568611-1-5 | page=134 | url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267763194 }}</ref> The genus name combines the [[Ancient Greek]] {{Transliteration|grc|thalassa}} meaning "sea" and {{Transliteration|grc|arkhē}} meaning "power" or "command" (from ''{{Transliteration|grc|arkhō}}'', to govern).<ref>{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | page=383 | url=https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n383/mode/1up }}</ref>

The word ''mollymawk'', which dates to the late 17th century, comes from the [[Dutch language|Dutch]] {{Lang|nl|mallemok}}, which means ''mal'' – foolish and ''mok'' – gull.<ref name = "OEDict"/> Another etymology suggests that it comes from the German {{Lang|de|Mallemugge}}, a term used originally for midges or flies that whirled about lights.<ref>{{cite book|page=530|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33017988|title=A dictionary of birds|author=Newton, Alfred|publisher=Adam and Charles Black| place=London|year=1896}}</ref>

Mollymawks are a type of albatross that belong to the family [[Diomedeidae]] of the order [[Procellariiformes]], along with [[shearwater]]s, [[fulmar]]s, storm-petrels, and [[diving-petrel]]s. They share certain identifying features. First, they have nasal passages that attach to the upper bill called [[naricorns]], although the nostrils are on the sides of the bill. The bills of Procellariiformes are also unique in that they are split into between seven and nine horny plates. They also have a [[salt gland]] that is situated above the nasal passage and helps desalinate their bodies, due to the high amount of ocean water that they imbibe. It excretes a high saline solution from their nose.<ref name=Ehrlich/> Finally, they produce a [[stomach oil]] made up of [[wax ester]]s and [[triglycerides]] that is stored in the [[proventriculus]]. This can be sprayed out of their mouths as a defence against predators as well as an energy rich food source for chicks and for the adults during their long flights.<ref name=Double/> The [[fossil]] species ''Thalassarche thyridata'' known from a skull fragment from the Late [[Miocene]] of [[Victoria, Australia]] shows that the genus had already diverged from the sooty albatrosses 10&nbsp;[[mya (unit)|mya]].<ref name ="Nunn96" />

===Species===
===Extant species===

The genus contains nine species:<ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=August 2022 | title=Petrels, albatrosses | work=IOC World Bird List Version 12.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/petrels/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=14 November 2022 }}</ref>
{{Species table |genus= Thalassarche |authority-name=[[Ludwig Reichenbach|Reichenbach]] |authority-year=1853 |species-count=nine|no-note=y|narrow-percent=75}}

{{Species table/row
|name= [[Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross]]|binomial=[[Thalassarche chlororhynchos]]
|image=File:Yellow-nosed Albatross CW.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Gmelin, JF |authority-year=1789 |authority-not-original=yes
|range=  Mid-Atlantic, including Tristan da Cunha (Inaccessible Island, Middle Island, Nightingale Island, Stoltenhoff Island) and Gough Island.
|range-image=File:Thalassarche chlororhynchos map.svg
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= EN
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name= [[Indian yellow-nosed albatross]]|binomial=[[Thalassarche carteri]]
|image=File:Thalassarche carteri - SE Tasmania.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Rothschild |authority-year=1903 |authority-not-original=yes
|range= Prince Edward Islands, the Crozet Islands, Kerguelen Island, Amsterdam Island (on the Falaises d'Entrecasteaux) and St Paul Islands in the Indian Ocean, from South Africa to the Pacific Ocean just beyond New Zealand
|range-image=
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= EN
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name= [[Buller's albatross]]|binomial=[[Thalassarche bulleri]]
|image=File:Thalassarche bulleri - SE Tasmania 2019.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Rothschild |authority-year=1893 |authority-not-original=yes
|range= New Zealand
|range-image=File:Thalassarche bulleri map.svg
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= NT
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name=[[Shy albatross]] |binomial=[[Thalassarche cauta]]
|image=File:Thalassarche cauta - SE Tasmania.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Gould|authority-year=1841 |authority-not-original=yes
|range=  Tasmania, [[Auckland Islands]] south of New Zealand
|range-image=
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status=NT
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name=[[Chatham albatross]] |binomial=[[Thalassarche eremita]]
|image=File:Chatham Albatross (Thalassarche eremita).jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Murphy  |authority-year=1930 |authority-not-original=
|range=  Chatham Islands
|range-image=File:Thalassarche eremita map.svg
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= VU
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name=[[Salvin's albatross]] |binomial=[[Thalassarche salvini]]
|image=File:Thalassarche cauta salvini -New Zealand coast-8.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Rothschild |authority-year=1893 |authority-not-original=yes
|range=  Southern Ocean, Île des Pingouins in the Crozet Islands in the Indian Ocean
|range-image=File:Thalassarche salvini map.svg
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status=CR
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name=[[Campbell albatross]] |binomial=[[Thalassarche impavida]]
|image=File:Campbell Albatross CW.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Mathews |authority-year=1912 |authority-not-original=
|range= South Island and the Chatham Rise to the Ross Sea.
|range-image=
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= VU
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name=[[Grey-headed albatross]] |binomial=[[Thalassarche chrysostoma]]
|image=File:Thalassarche chrysostoma - SE Tasmania.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Forster |authority-year=1785 |authority-not-original=yes
|range= South Georgia in the South Atlantic, and smaller colonies on Islas Diego Ramírez, Kerguelen Islands, Crozet Islands, Marion Island, and Prince Edward Islands in the Indian Ocean, Campbell Island and Macquarie Island south of New Zealand, and Chile.
|range-image=File:Thalassarche chrysostoma - distribution map.svg
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= EN
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name= [[Black-browed albatross]] |binomial=[[Thalassarche melanophris]]
|image=File:Thalassarche melanophrys - SE Tasmania.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Temminck |authority-year=1828 |authority-not-original=yes
|range=  Atlantic Ocean, it breeds on the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and the Cape Horn Islands.
|range-image=File:Black-browed Albatross-map-localisation-fr.svg
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= EN
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}
{{Species table/end}}


===Fossils===
*[[extinct|†]]''[[Thalassarche thyridata]]''

==Description==
[[File:Black-browed Albatross skeleton.jpg|thumb|Black-browed albatross (''[[Black-browed albatross|Thalassarche melanophris]]'') skeleton on display at the [[Museum of Osteology]]]]
Mollymawks have the largest range in size of all the albatross genera, as their wingspans are {{convert|180|to(-)|256|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Robertson" /> Mollymawks have what has been described as [[gull]]-like [[plumage]], with dark black backs, mantle and tails and lighter heads, underwings and bellies. The heads of several species are often slightly darker grey, or have dark around the eyes. They all have a colourful pinkish flesh stripe from their [[gape]] to their ear that is shown during displays. They have distinctive bill structure and colouring which makes for easier identifying than other albatrosses.<ref name="Robertson" /> The [[beak|bill]]s of mollymawks are either brightly coloured orange or yellow, or dark with several bright yellow lines.

==See also==
*[[List of albatross breeding locations]]

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=Double>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Double | first = M. C. |editor1-first = Michael | editor1-last = Hutchins | editor2-first = Jerome A. | editor2-last = Jackson | editor3-first = Walter J. | editor3-last = Bock | editor4-first = Donna | editor4-last = Olendorf | others = Joseph E. Trumpey, Chief Scientific Illustrator | encyclopedia = Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia | title = Procellariiformes (Tubenosed Seabirds) | edition = 2nd | year = 2003 | publisher = Gale Group | volume = 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins | location = Farmington Hills, MI | isbn = 0-7876-5784-0 | pages = 107–111}}</ref>
<ref name=Ehrlich>{{cite book|last1=Ehrlich|first1=Paul R.|last2=Dobkin|first2=David, S.|last3=Wheye|first3=Darryl|title=The Birders Handbook|edition=First|year=1988|publisher=Simon & Schuster|location=New York, NY|isbn=0-671-65989-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/birdershandbookf00ehrl_0/page/29 29]–31|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/birdershandbookf00ehrl_0}}</ref>
<ref name="Nunn96">{{cite journal|author1=Nunn, Gary B. |author2=Cooper, John |author3=Jouventin, Pierre |author4=Robertson, Chris J. R. |author5=Robertson Graham G.  |name-list-style=amp |year=1996|title= Evolutionary relationships among extant albatrosses (Procellariiformes: Diomedeidae) established from complete cytochrome-''b'' gene sequences|journal=[[Auk (journal)|Auk]]|volume=113|issue=4|pages= 784–801|url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v113n04/p0784-p0801.pdf|doi=10.2307/4088857|jstor=4088857}}</ref>
<ref name = "OEDict">{{cite web | url = http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/mollymawk | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150701012729/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/mollymawk | url-status = dead | archive-date = July 1, 2015 | title = Mollymawk | work = Oxford Dictionaries | publisher = [[Oxford University Press]] | access-date = 28 June 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="Robertson">{{cite encyclopedia | last = Robertson| first = C. J. R.|editor1-first = Michael | editor1-last = Hutchins | editor2-first = Jerome A. | editor2-last = Jackson | editor3-first = Walter J. | editor3-last = Bock | editor4-first = Donna | editor4-last = Olendorf | others = Joseph E. Trumpey, Chief Scientific Illustrator | encyclopedia = Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia | title = Albatrosses (Diomedeidae) | edition = 2nd | year = 2003 | publisher = Gale Group | volume = 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins | location = Farmington Hills, MI | isbn = 0-7876-5784-0 | page = 114}}</ref>
}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite web| url=https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=553528 | title=ITIS Standard Report Page: Thalassarche | access-date=19 Feb 2009 | author=ITIS | year=2007 | work=Integrated Taxonomic Information System }}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Thalassarche|''Thalassarche''}}
*{{Wikispecies-inline|Thalassarche|''Thalassarche''}}

{{Procellariiformes}}
{{Birds}}
{{Austrodyptornithes|P.|state=collapsed}}
{{Portal bar|Birds|Animals|Biology}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q614004}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Thalassarche]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Ludwig Reichenbach]]