I found another (very likely) trace of this genus, or rather of the so-called puna’e (Gallinula pacificus (Kubary, Hartlaub & Finsch)) from the Samoan Islands.:

“Ein hühnerartiger Vogel, Namens Pongoi, nach Beschreibung der Eingeborenen Porphyrio indicus, wenn nicht eine Megapodius-Art, von welcher ich trotz hoher gebotener Preise bis jetzt noch kein Exemplar erhalten konnte, ist nur in Savai zu Hause.” [1]

Translation:

“A chicken-like bird, called Pongoi, according to the description of the natives Porphyrio indicus, if not a species of Megapodius, of which I have not yet been able to obtain a specimen despite the high prices offered, is only at home in Savai.“

Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the explicit descriptions of the natives mentioned here, but the puna’e was only described one year later and at that time was not known to the author. And pongoi and puna’e, in my opinion sound quite similar, especially if it is take into account that these names were given to the author by locals in spoken- not written form.

Porphyrio indicus, here correctly Porphyrio melanotus Temminck, is called manu ali’i or manu sa in Samoa; it is a very conspicuous and well-known bird locally – as it is often a pest in taro plantations; thus it is quite unlikely that it would be mistaken for another bird by the natives.

So, I personally think that the abovementioned little note is indeed about the puna’e.

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see also:

The genus Pareudiastes – some thoughts about the Puna’e and its mysterious congeners 

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References:

[1] Eduard Gräffe: Die Vogelwelt der Tonga-Inseln. Journal für Ornithologie 18(108): 401-420. 1870

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edited: 11.09.2024