sp.n, z dolnego plejstocenu wschodniej Gruzjiof Georgia. Acta zool. cracov., Kraków, 16 (1):...
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A C T A ZOOL. CRACOV. 33 121— 132 K R A K Ó W , 30. IX. 1990 N. I. Вurchak-Abramovich and A. K. Vekua The fossil ostrich Struthio dmanisensis sp. n. from the Lower Pleistocene of eastern Georgia [With. Plate I and 2 text-figs ] Kopalny struś Struthio dmanisensis sp.n, z dolnego plejstocenu wschodniej Gruzji Abstract. Struthio dmanisensis sp. n. bas been described on the basis of a femur from the Lower Pleistocene deposits of Dmanisi in eastern Georgia. The bone is larger and stouter than in the present-day Ostrich. Its stoutness suggests affinity to S. pannonicus. I. INTRODUCTION The right femur of an ostrich of huge size was found among the fossil bones of mammals during archaeological-palaeontological excavations carried out by the Institutes of History and Palaeobiology at the village of Dmanisi in eastern Georgia. It was a second find of the fossil ostrich in Georgia. The first was a pelvis of Struthio transcaucasicus from the Middle Akchagil of the Kwabebi region. Fragmentary egg-shells, presumably of the said S. transcaucasicus, are also frequently met with in Upper Pliocene deposits in eastern Georgia and western Azerbaydzhan. So far femora of 6 fossil ostriches are known from all over the Old World: (1) S. karatheodoris F orsyth M ajor , 1888, Meotis, Samos Island, femur and pelvis, (2) S. anderssoni L owe , 1931, Upper Pleistocene, China, femora and egg shells, (3) S. brachydactylus B urchak -A bramovich , 1953, Meotis, Hipparion fauna, Ukraine, among other bones 2 complete and 2 fragmentary right fe mora, (4) Struthio sp., Middle Pliocene, karst cave near Odessa, 3 right femora, (5) Struthio sp., Meotis, Hipparion fauna, Emetovka, Odessa Oblast, 1 right femur and (6) S. oldawayi L owe , 1933, Lower Pleistocene, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.
Transcript of sp.n, z dolnego plejstocenu wschodniej Gruzjiof Georgia. Acta zool. cracov., Kraków, 16 (1):...
A C T A Z O O L . C R A C O V . 3 3 1 2 1 — 1 3 2 K R A K Ó W , 3 0 . I X . 1 9 9 0
N . I. В u r c h a k -A b r a m o v ic h a n d A . K . V e k u a
The fossil ostrich Struthio dmanisensis sp. n. from the Lower Pleistocene of eastern Georgia
[With. P la te I and 2 text-figs ]
Kopalny struś Struthio dmanisensis sp.n, z dolnego plejstocenu wschodniej Gruzji
A b s t r a c t . Struthio dmanisensis sp. n. bas been described on the basis of a fem ur from the Lower Pleistocene deposits of Dmanisi in eastern Georgia. The bone is larger and stouter than in the present-day Ostrich. Its stoutness suggests affinity to S. pannonicus.
I. INTRODUCTION
The right femur of an ostrich of huge size was found among the fossil bones of mammals during archaeological-palaeontological excavations carried out by the Institutes of History and Palaeobiology a t the village of Dmanisi in eastern Georgia. I t was a second find of the fossil ostrich in Georgia. The first was a pelvis of Struthio transcaucasicus from the Middle Akchagil of the Kwabebi region. Fragmentary egg-shells, presumably of the said S. transcaucasicus, are also frequently met with in Upper Pliocene deposits in eastern Georgia and western Azerbaydzhan.
So far femora of 6 fossil ostriches are known from all over the Old World: (1) S. karatheodoris F o r s y t h M a jo r , 1888, Meotis, Samos Island, femur and pelvis, (2) S. anderssoni L o w e , 1931, Upper Pleistocene, China, femora and eggshells, (3) S. brachydactylus B u r c h a k -A b r a m o v ic h , 1953, Meotis, Hipparion fauna, Ukraine, among other bones 2 complete and 2 fragmentary right femora, (4) Struthio sp., Middle Pliocene, karst cave near Odessa, 3 right femora, (5) Struthio sp., Meotis, Hipparion fauna, Emetovka, Odessa Oblast, 1 right femur and (6) S. oldawayi L o w e , 1933, Lower Pleistocene, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.
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Bu r c h a k -A bram ovich N. I., V e k u a A. К . 1971. The Fossil Ostrich from the Akchagi of Georgia. Acta zool. cracov., Kraków, 16 (1): 1— 28.
Cram p S. (ed.) et al. 1977. Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle E ast and N orth Africa: The Birds of the W estern Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1: Ostrich to Ducks.
K retzoi M. 1954. Ostrich and camel remains from the Central Danube Basin. Acta geologica, Budapest, 2 (3—4): 231—-242.
K uro ch k in E. N., L u n g u A. N. 1970. Novyi straus iz srednego sarm ata Moldavii. Paleont. zh., Moskva, 1970 (1): 118— 120.
L ambrecht К. 1933. H andbuch der Palaeornithologie. Berlin.L e a k e y L . S. B . 1967. Olduvai Gorge 1951— 1961. A prelim inary report on the geology and
fauna. Cambridge, A t the U niversity Press, 1: 1— 109.P idoplichko I. G. 1951. О lednikovom periode. Izd. A. N. USSR, Kiev. 2: 1—264.T u g a rin o v A. 1930. E in fossiler Strauss in Transbaikalien. Dokl. A. N. SSSE., Leningrad,
(A) 1930 (23): 611— 614.Vo in st v e n s k ij M. A. 1967. Iskopaem aya ornitofauna U krainy. P rirodnaya obstanovka i fauna
proshlogho. Kiev, 3: 1— 76.
STRESZCZENIE
Opisana prawa kość udowa Struthio dmanisensis sp.n. została znaleziona w osadach z dolnego plejstocenu we wsi Dmanisi we Wschodniej Gruzji. Jest to kość bardzo dużych rozmiarów (tabela I) i bardzo masywna. Caput femoris sterczy wyraźnie ponad górny poziom trochanter major. Trochanter minor leży w całości na linea aspera. Fossa patellaris jest stosunkowo mała, ku dołowi stopniowo się rozszerza, a jej brzegi (szczególnie lateralny) są połogie. Trochlea patellaris lateralis stopniowo obniża się w kierunku proksymalnym i przechodzi w linea anterior.
Kość jest wyraźnie większa niż u współczesnego Struthio camelus L in n a e u s , 1758, i tylko nieznacznie mniejsza niż u S . oldawayi Lowe, 1933 (por. tabela I). Charakterystyczna duża masywność kości sugeruje pokrewieństwo z S. pan- nonious K r e t z o i, 1954, opisanym również z dolnoplejstoceńskich osadów na Węgrzech.
R edaktor pracy: prof. dr Z. Bocheński
