Quaternary fossil faunas, overlapping taphonomies, and palaeofaunal reconstruction in North Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand

Abstract

Some of the predator sites accumulated fauna until late in the nineteenth century.The total avian fauna for the Waikari region (including Glenmark) comprises 65 indigenous and 4 introduced species of birds. In addition, tuatara Sphenodon spp., two species of gecko Hoplodactylus spp., including the large H. duvaucelii, undetermined skinks and fish, two species of bats Mystacina spp., three rodents Mus musculus, Rattus norvegicus and (most common) Rattus exulans, and European rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus were found. All introduced species were in deposits accumulated by laughing owls.The derivation of faunas from the diverse taphonomic processes of cave-pitfall trapping, swamp-miring / lacustrine accumulation, and predation, has resulted in an unusually broad perception of the composition of the Late Holocene fauna. This fauna differs in relative frequency of species from the much wetter regions of the West Coast and Takaka. It also differs from Mt Cookson in North Canterbury, which is closer to mountains, at higher altitude, and wetter than the Waikari district. The Waikari moa fauna was dominated by Dinornis giganteus, Emeus crassus, Euryapteryx geranoides, and Pachyornis elephantopus. Among smaller terrestrial birds, kiwis Apteryx spp. and wekas Gallirallus australis were less common than in wetter regions. Finsch's duck Euryanas finschi, paradise shelduck Tadorna variegata, extinct coot Fulica prisca, extinct gallinule Gallinula hodgenorum, laughing owl Sceloglaux albifacies, and adzebill Aptomis defossor were common in contrast to their absence or near-absence in the west. Snipe Coenocorypha cf. aucklandica and piopio Turnagra capensis were noticeably more common in Waikari faunas than in more western ones.The Otiran moa fauna comprised the same species as in the Holocene, except that Pachyornis elephantopus was more common. Comparisons between the large, welldated, samples from Glencrieff and Pyramid Valley, show that P. elephantopus but not E. crassus exhibited post-glacial dwarfing in this region.The importance of predator sites in palaeofaunal reconstruction is indicated by the fact that 17 bird species and virtually all non-bird taxa were recognised solely from these deposits. These include five procellariiforms, and three river-bed inhabitants *Palaeofaunal Surveys, 43 The Ridgeway,

Extinct New Zealand megafauna were not in decline before human colonization

“…11). Despite markedly lower genetic diversity, E. crassus appears to have been thriving in the Eastern forests, where late Holocene fossils have been found in great abundance (42,43).…”

“…Bell Hill Vineyard (121) Rosslea ( (44), Glenmark (43°00′00.0″S, 172°46′50.0″E) (43), and Glencrieff (42°58′07.45″S, 172°34′01.84″E) (57). Sample sizes are in parentheses.…”

Highly skewed sex ratios and biased fossil deposition of moa: ancient DNA provides new insight on New Zealand's extinct megafauna

“…Worthy and Holdaway (1996) suggested that most of the moa at PV died during the driest 17 period over summer ( Figure 2) when birds might have been tempted out on to a substantially dry lake 18 bed, where a thin crust covered the "gyttja", to find water. Gizzard contents of birds from PV 19 contained seeds and fruits (Burrows et al, 1981), perhaps supporting the contention of a summer or 20 autumn deposition (Holdaway and Worthy, 1997; .…”

Avifaunal changes revealed in Quaternary deposits near Waitomo Caves, North Island, New Zealand

“…It is rare in areas where such forests are absent, including those dominated by matai, as in Hawke's Bay (Table 8) and the eastern South Island (e.g., Worthy & Holdaway 1996). The distribution is now at least partly explicable because observations of kakapo feeding ecology have shown that they prefer rimu foliage.…”