Post by Melanie on Sept 23, 2015 19:18:38 GMT
Tyto noeli Arredondo, 1972a
HOLOTYPE.—Right tarsometatarsus, DPUH 1251.
TYPE-LOCALITY.—Cueva del Tunel, La Salud,
Habana, Cuba.
OTHER LOCALITIES.—Cueva de Paredones, San
Antonio de los Banos, Habana; Cueva del Indio,
Reparto El Globo, Calabazar, Habana; quarries
near Sancti Spiritus, Las Villas.
AGE.—Late Pleistocene.
OTHER MATERIAL.—Cueva del Tunel: OA 818,
right femur; OA 812, distal portion of left tibiotarsus;
OA 804, distal portion of right humerus;
OA 806, proximal fragment of right humerus; OA
822, shaft of right tibiotarsus; OA 815, distal portion
of right ulna. Cueva de Paredones: OA 828,
proximal portion of right tarsometatarsus; OA 827,
proximal portion of right tibiotarsus; OA 839,
right coracoid. Cueva del Indio: OA 1027, right
femur.
DESCRIPTION.—Similar to the living species Tyto
alba in its general skeletal configuration, but much
larger (Figures 10, II, Tables 7 and 8), equaling in
size the extinct species Tyto ostologa of Haiti and
T. pollens of the Bahamas. The tarsometatarsus
was between 90 and 100 mm long and was similar
to that of T. pollens, but more slender, even in
specimens that are longer than in T. pollens. The
tibiotarsus is likewise similar to that of T. pollens
but is less robust. This slenderness of the hindlimb
is the most notable difference between the two
species.
In the femur, humerus, ulna, coracoid, and
claws, the only pronounced difference from Tyto
alba is in size. Likewise, a fragment of the anterior
portion of a sternum of T. noeli from quarries near
Sancti Spiritus has the same conformation as that
of T. alba but is larger. One might expect to find
greater distinctions in the skull, but so far only
fragments of the skull of T. noeli have been found.
Brodkorb (1959:357) suggested that T. pollens
may possibly be differentiated from T. ostologa
only at the subspecific level. The same could be
suggested for T. noeli. From the upper Miocene of
Italy, a new species of giant barn owl, Tyto robusta
Ballmann (1973), has been described that is near
the size of T. noeli. The Cuban species is somewhat
larger and heavier, however.
Reprinted from: "Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th li
*1 Birthday of Alexander Wetmore," Storrs L. Olson, editor, 21 May 1976. !#
The Great Predatory Birds of the Pleistocene of Cuba
Oscar Arredondo
translated and amended by Storrs L. Olson
repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/19094/VZ_71_Arredondo_translation.pdf
HOLOTYPE.—Right tarsometatarsus, DPUH 1251.
TYPE-LOCALITY.—Cueva del Tunel, La Salud,
Habana, Cuba.
OTHER LOCALITIES.—Cueva de Paredones, San
Antonio de los Banos, Habana; Cueva del Indio,
Reparto El Globo, Calabazar, Habana; quarries
near Sancti Spiritus, Las Villas.
AGE.—Late Pleistocene.
OTHER MATERIAL.—Cueva del Tunel: OA 818,
right femur; OA 812, distal portion of left tibiotarsus;
OA 804, distal portion of right humerus;
OA 806, proximal fragment of right humerus; OA
822, shaft of right tibiotarsus; OA 815, distal portion
of right ulna. Cueva de Paredones: OA 828,
proximal portion of right tarsometatarsus; OA 827,
proximal portion of right tibiotarsus; OA 839,
right coracoid. Cueva del Indio: OA 1027, right
femur.
DESCRIPTION.—Similar to the living species Tyto
alba in its general skeletal configuration, but much
larger (Figures 10, II, Tables 7 and 8), equaling in
size the extinct species Tyto ostologa of Haiti and
T. pollens of the Bahamas. The tarsometatarsus
was between 90 and 100 mm long and was similar
to that of T. pollens, but more slender, even in
specimens that are longer than in T. pollens. The
tibiotarsus is likewise similar to that of T. pollens
but is less robust. This slenderness of the hindlimb
is the most notable difference between the two
species.
In the femur, humerus, ulna, coracoid, and
claws, the only pronounced difference from Tyto
alba is in size. Likewise, a fragment of the anterior
portion of a sternum of T. noeli from quarries near
Sancti Spiritus has the same conformation as that
of T. alba but is larger. One might expect to find
greater distinctions in the skull, but so far only
fragments of the skull of T. noeli have been found.
Brodkorb (1959:357) suggested that T. pollens
may possibly be differentiated from T. ostologa
only at the subspecific level. The same could be
suggested for T. noeli. From the upper Miocene of
Italy, a new species of giant barn owl, Tyto robusta
Ballmann (1973), has been described that is near
the size of T. noeli. The Cuban species is somewhat
larger and heavier, however.
Reprinted from: "Collected Papers in Avian Paleontology Honoring the 90th li
*1 Birthday of Alexander Wetmore," Storrs L. Olson, editor, 21 May 1976. !#
The Great Predatory Birds of the Pleistocene of Cuba
Oscar Arredondo
translated and amended by Storrs L. Olson
repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/19094/VZ_71_Arredondo_translation.pdf
