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NOTES on SUBFOSSIL ANAHDAE from NEW ZEALAND, INCLUDING a NEW SPECBES of PINK-EARED DUCK MALACORHYNCHUS STOR&S L. OLSON Recei

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NOTES on SUBFOSSIL ANAHDAE from NEW ZEALAND, INCLUDING a NEW SPECBES of PINK-EARED DUCK MALACORHYNCHUS STOR&S L. OLSON Recei fM NOTES ON SUBFOSSIL ANAHDAE FROM NEW ZEALAND, INCLUDING A NEW SPECBES OF PINK-EARED DUCK MALACORHYNCHUS STOR&S L. OLSON Received 3 October 1976. SUMMARY OLSON, S. L. 1977. Notes on subfossil Anatidae from New Zealand, including a new species of pink-eared duck Malacorhynchus. Emu 77: 132-135. A new species of pink-eared duck, Malacorhynchus scarletti, is described from subfossil deposits at Pyra- mid Valley, South Island, NZ, and is characterized by larger size. Preliminary observations indicate that subfossil specimens of Biziura from New Zealand are larger and differ qualitatively from B. lobata; for the present, the name Biziura delautouri Forbes, 1892, ought to be retained for the New Zealand form. An erroneous record of Mergus australis is corrected. INTRODUCTION Locality. Pyramid Valley Swamp, near Waikari, During two visits to museums in New Zealand, I North Canterbury, South Island, NZ. examined remains of numerous fossil and subfossil Age. Holocene; the bone-bearing sediments at birds, including those of several extinct species of Pyramid Valley Swamp have been determined by ducks. Of these, the form known as Euryanas finschi radio-carbon dating to be about 3,500 years old was represented by thousands of specimens and I (Gregg 1972). plan to treat its osteology and relationships in a Etymology. I take pleasure in naming this new subsequent study. Three other species are the subject species for R. J. Scarlett, osteologist at the Canter- of the present paper. bury Museum, in recognition of his significant con- tributions to New Zealand palaeornithology. MALACORHYNCHUS Diagnosis. Much larger than M, membranaceus In a report on avian remains from Pyramid Valley (see Table I). Swamp, South Island, Falla (1941: 352) listed Description. The premaxilla (Plate 6 A, C), as in 'Malacorhynchus sp. Terminal fragments of pre- M. membranaceus, is very broad, thin and truncate maxillae of two individuals of this genus were found, anteriorly, with a small nail, unlike the rounded with one tibia probably of the same.' Scarlett (1955: premaxilla with a large nail of the New Zealand 261) repeated Falla's remarks and added that 'it is Shoveler Anas rhynchotis, the only New Zealand likely that other Anas bones [from Pyramid Valley duck with which it might be confused. The pre- Swamp] belong to this genus, but there is no skeleton maxilla of M. scarletti differs from that of M. available for comparison.' Oliver (1955: 600) listed membranaceus in being broader, somewhat more the record as 'Malacorhynchus membranacea [sic] truncate at the tip and in having the constriction (?)* and suggested that the New Zealand specimens in the lateral margins less distinct. Also, the nail 'probably . belong to the Australian species.' in both anterior and lateral view is less pronounced Howard (1964: 306) noted that 'Malacorhynchus but this may in part reflect the fact that the holotype membranaceus is questionably recorded from sub- appears to be from an individual not quite adult. recent deposits in Pyramid Valley Swamp, South The paratypic mandibular ramus (Plate 6 E, G) is Island, New Zealand.' I was able to compare the definitely from a juvenile individual and the posterior two premaxillary fragments mentioned above and an margin of the retro-articular process is clearly seen additional portion of a mandible, with a series of to be incompletely ossified, thus accounting for its fourteen skeletons of the Australian Pink-eared Duck somewhat different shape as compared to an adult Malacorhynchus membranaceus. I have not seen the of M. membranaceus. Nevertheless, the specimen is tibiotarsus mentioned by Falla (1942). Two of the still remarkably larger than in any specimen of the subfossil specimens are indeed correctly referred to Australian species. The entire element is propor- the genus Malacorhynchus but they are quite distinct tionately deeper than in M. membranaceus and the from M. membranaceus and merit recognition as a internal and external articular processes are more new species. massive, the former with much less of an anterior Malacorhynchus scarletti, new species hook. The paratype of M. scarletti differs from the comparable element of Anas rhynchotis and other (Plate 6 A, C, E, G) New Zealand ducks in its larger size, much less Holotype. Anterior portion of premaxilla CM Av elongate internal articular process and in its broad 5855. square articular surface for the quadrate, as opposed Paratype. Posterior portion of right mandibular to the narrow elliptical one of A. rhynchotis and ramus, CM Av 9959. most other ducks. 132 1977 S. L. OLSON: SUBFOSSIL DUCKS FROM NEW ZEALAND 133 TABLE I Measurements (mm) of premaxillae and mandibles of Malacorhynchus membranaceus compared with M. scarleiti, new species. N Range Mean S.D. Width of premaxilla* membranaceus 6" 17 22.0-25.2 23.7 0.85 9 15 20.1-24.0 22.2 1.08 scarletti 27.3 Length of retro-articular membranaceus 3 8 11.7-12.5 12.2 0.22 process 9 6 10.5-11.3 11.0 0.29 scarletti 12.4** Depth of retro-articular pro- membranaceus 8 5.3- 5.7 5.4 0.16 cess (at base) 6 4.9- 5.5 5.1 0.24 scarletti 7.5 * Measurements of premaxillae were taken from 18 skins and 14 skeletons. ** This measurement would have been considerably larger in a fully adult bird. Remarks. The other premaxillary fragment (CM similar tarsometatarsi from a subfossil site at Lake Av 5860) assigned to Malacorhynchus by Falla Grassmere to which he had previously drawn atten- (1941) is much too rounded at the tip for that tion (Dawson 1949; 1952). Scarlett (1969) assigned genus and differs in several other respects as well. a humerus from Lake Grassmere and a humerus It may be from A. rhynchotis but, being from a and tibiotarsus from Poukawa Swamp, Hawkes Bay, quite young individual, it is not possible to be certain to the modern Australian Musk Duck Biziura lobata, of the identity. dismissing Forbes's name lautori as a nomen nudum The Pink-eared Duck in Australia is a species of but apparently being unaware of the earlier valid the inland plains with a Very strong preference for designation of this form as B. delautouri. Harrison the shallow open expanses of residual floodwater and Walker (1970) re-examined the type of Biziura or rain-filled claypans . but small groups do delautouri and concluded that the differences in size live and breed in some permanent swamps' (Frith from B. lobata were too slight to warrant nomen- 1967: 234). M. scarletti may have been largely re- clature! separation of the New Zealand form. stricted to the open areas and swamps in and round A proper assessment of B. delautouri is rendered the Canterbury Plains, to which certain other species, difficult by the tremendous sexual dimorphism in such as the quail Coturnix novaezealandiae, were size in B. lobata, by the great individual variation in mainly confined. The fact that both of the specimens size within the sexes and by lack of adequate modern of M. scarletti appear to be from immature? indi- comparative material. Scarlett (1969) had one partial cates that the species was probably breeding in the skeleton of a male and six unsexed skeletons of B. Pyramid Valley Swamp. Efforts to identify and de- lobata; Harrison and Walker (1970) had only two scribe additional material of this distinctive duck females and a tarsometatarsus removed from a study should be encouraged. skin of a male. I was able to examine complete skele- BIZIURA tons of five males and three females of B. lobata A tarsometatarsus of a musk duck 'somewhat larger and even this series is probably not sufficient to give than Biziura lobata' from Enfield Swamp, near Oa- a true idea of the variation in size in the species. maru, was named Biziura delautouri by H. O. Forbes Rather extensive collections of avian remains from (1892a: 417). Howard (1964) and Cowles (1970) Lake Grassmere made by E. W. Dawson in 1948 have correctly pointed out that this constitutes a and 1951 are on deposit at the National Museum valid description and antedates an abstract by Forbes of New Zealand but have not been fully identified (1892b) in which the name Biziura lautouri appears or catalogued. From this collection I was able to as a nomen nudum, this last publication having been study briefly two tarsometatarsi of Biziura and com- considered erroneously as the original reference to pare them directly with part of the above-mentioned the species by other authors treating the subject. series of eight B. lobata. Because much more sub- Dawson (1958) found the type specimen of Biziura fossil material of Biziura from New Zealand is delautouri among the Forbes collection in the British potentially obtainable and because of the limitations Museum (Natural History) and also mentioned of the presently available comparative material of 134 S. L. OLSON: SUBFOSSIL DUCKS FROM NEW ZEALAND EMU 77 B. lobata, I here offer only a few preliminary Auckland Islands should be explored, the specimen observations. from South Bay does not offer evidence for this, Although they did not regard the differences as because it is actually from a coot {Fulica) and not significant, Harrison and Walker (1970) did note from a duck at all. It is easily distinguishable from that the New Zealand specimens of Biziura were two Mergus in lacking the large pneumatic foramen to three per cent larger than in B. lobata. The larger characteristic of that genus. The specimen is about tarsometatarsus I examined from Lake Grassmere five millimetres shorter than the smallest (87.1 mm) (56.7 mm) and the type of B. delautouri (57.2 mm) of seven humeri in the type series of Fulica chat- both exceed in size five males of B.
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