Gilles cave, upper layer (Holocene of New Caledonia)

Where: New Caledonia (21.9° S, 166.0° E: paleocoordinates 21.9° S, 166.0° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Holocene (0.0 - 0.0 Ma)

• In the upper level, bones of rats were abundant and occurred to a depth of 1.3 m. These rodents are commensals of man and the deposits containing them must be assumed to postdate human occupation of the island.

• bed-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: cave; lithology not reported

Size class: macrofossils

Preservation: coprolite

Reposited in the MNHN

Primary reference: J. C. Balouet and S. L. Olson. 1989. Fossil birds from late Quaternary deposits in New Caledonia. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 469:1-38 [M. Clapham/M. Clapham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 193985: authorized by Matthew Clapham, entered by Matthew Clapham on 09.06.2018

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Aves
 Strigiformes - Tytonidae
Tyto alba Scopoli 1769 barn owl
 Strigiformes - Strigidae
Ninox cf. novaeseelandiae Gmelin 1788 southern boobook
 Coraciiformes - Alcedinidae
"Halcyon sancta" = Todiramphus sanctus
"Halcyon sancta" = Todiramphus sanctus Vigors and Horsfield 1827 sacred kingfisher
 Columbiformes - Columbidae
Columba vitiensis Quoy and Gaimard 1830 metallic pigeon
Ducula goliath Gray 1859 New Caledonian imperial-pigeon
Chalcophaps indica Linnaeus 1758 Asian emerald dove
 Gruiformes - Rallidae
Porphyrio kukwiedei, "Tricholimnas lafresnayanus" = Gallirallus lafresnayanus, Gallirallus philippensis, "Porzana tabuensis" = Zapornia tabuensis
Porphyrio kukwiedei Balouet and Olson 1989 New Caledonia gallinule
"Tricholimnas lafresnayanus" = Gallirallus lafresnayanus Verreaux and des Murs 1860 New Caledonian rail
Gallirallus philippensis Linnaeus 1766 buff-banded rail
"Porzana tabuensis" = Zapornia tabuensis Gmelin 1789 spotless crake
 Neornithes - Sylviornithidae
Sylviornis neocaledoniae Poplin 1980 bird
 Charadriiformes - Turnicidae
"Turnix varia" = Turnix varius
"Turnix varia" = Turnix varius Lathum 1802 painted buttonquail
ssp. novaecaledoniae
 Charadriiformes - Charadriidae
Pluvialis dominica Mueller 1776 American golden plover
Charadrius mongolus Pallas 1776 lesser sand-plover