New palaeontological data from the excavation of the Late Glacial Glencrieff miring bone deposit, North Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand

Figures & data

Figure 1  Location of fossil deposits in the South Island discussed in this paper, and location of the Late Glacial Glencrieff miring bone deposit in North Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand (insert).

Table 1  A summary of moa specimens excavated from Glencrieff in all known excavations.

Species	2007 excavation	Total for all collections^1
Heavy-footed moa (Pachyornis elephantopus)	3 pelves, 4 sterna, 7L 6R fem, 6L 7R (1L 1R subad) tt, 4L 8R tmt, 1 complete skull, 43/8	13 pelves, 14 sterna, 22L 20R fem, 21L 18R tt (1L 1R subad), 11L 8R fib, 19L 19 tmt, 1 complete skull, 3 crania^2, 8 mandibles, 229 vertebrae, 192 ribs/pubes/ischia, 213 phalanges, 830/22
Eastern moa (Emeus crassus)	4 pelves, 1 sterna, 3L 4R fem, 4L 6R tt, 4L 5R tmt, 31/6	17 pelves, 10 sterna, 14L 15R fem, 19L 21R tt, 7L 10R fib, 15L 15R tmt, 11 crania^3, 4 mandibles, 227 vertebrae, 282 ribs/pubes/ischia, 187 phalanges, 873/21
South Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus)	1R fem, 1R tt, 2/1	2 pelves, 2 sterna, 2L 3R fem, 4L 4R tt, 3L 1R fib, 3L 3R tmt, 10 vertebrae, 13 phalanges, 1 sesamoid, 67 bones from one discrete skeleton^4, 118/5
Stout-legged moa (Euryapteryx curtus)	1L tmt, 1/1	1L tmt, 1/1
Emeid juv. moa chick	n/a	13/3
Unident. moa	Vertebrae	Vertebrae
Unident. moa	Ribs	Ribs
Unident. moa	8L 10R fib, 18/10	8L 10R fib, 18/10
Unident. moa	Phalanges	Phalanges
For NMNZ S and CM Av numbers see Appendix A. In species lists, x/y = number of bones/MNI. Bones are listed as femora (fem), tibiotarsi (tt), fibula (fib), tarsometatarsi (tmt), subadult (subad).
^1Includes the 2007, 1993–94 Worthy and Holdaway, 1991 Eaves and 1971 Canterbury Museum excavations (Worthy & Holdaway, 1996).
^2Includes 22 cranial bones.
^3Includes 19 cranial bones.
^4This is the discrete skeleton (CM Av25273) that was excavated in 1971.

Figure 2  Articulated pelvis, ribs, and associated vertebrae, sternum and gizzard contents of an eastern moa (Emeus crassus (Owen, 1846)), Glencreiff, 2007. Lens cap diameter is 58 mm. Note the weathered appearance of the pelvis from this relatively shallow part of the deposit and abundant roots of poplars (Populus Linneaus 1753).

Table 2  List of non-moa bird specimens excavated from Glencrieff, 2007.

Species	Element, x/y
Brown teal (Anas chlorotis)	1 radius, 1/1
Kea (Nestor notabilis)	2 pt maxilla, 2/1
Grey warbler (Gerygone igata)	1 tmt, 1/1
Weka (Gallirallus australis)	1 corocoid, 1/1
Kereru (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae)	1 cmc, 1/1
Hodgens’ waterhen (Gallinula hodgenorum)	1 coracoid, 2 tt, 3/1
South Island Snipe (Coenocorypha iredalei)	1 fem, 1/1
Rail sp. (Rallidae)	1 vertebrae, 1/1
In species lists, x/y=number of bones/MNI. Material in Canterbury Museum; for CM Av numbers see Appendix 2. Bones are listed as carpometacarpus (cmc), femora (fem), tibiotarsi (tt), tarsometatarsi (tmt). Taxonomic names follow Gill et al. (2010).

Figure 3  Relationship of radiocarbon age (± 1 SD) to excavation depth for dated moa bones at Glencrieff. Numbers refer to museum accession numbers (Table 3), except NZA4162, which refers to the Rafter Radiocarbon Laboratory number because there is no accessioned material for this bone. Preparations under Prep Code are: ABA, acid base acid collagen preparation, used by Worthy and Holdaway (1996); UF1, ultrafiltration with Eezi and Vivaspin filters, stepped-combustion with silver wire; UF2, ultrafiltration with Vivaspin filters, combustion with silver powder, contaminated iron catalyst; UF3, ultrafiltration with Vivaspin filters, combustion with silver powder, modern ¹⁴C-free iron catalyst.

Table 3  Determining the age range of moa bones excavated from Glencrieff by Worthy and Holdaway (1996).

Species	Museum no.	Excavation square and depth	Prep. code	Lab. no.	^14C age, years BP (1 SD)	Calibrated age (2 SD), years BP^2	% C	% N	δ^13C	C:N ratio
E. crassus	NMNZ S.32688	WH, Sq A1, −70 cm	ABA	NZA4018	10,480±120^1	12,386–12,624	n/a	n/a	−24.72	n/a
P. elephantopus	n/a^3	WH, Peg 1, −85 cm	ABA	NZA4162	11,898±82^1	13,706–13,824	n/a	n/a	−21.48	n/a
P. elephantopus	NMNZ S.32670.9	WH, Sq A1, −95 cm	UF1	ANU1607	11,230±210	12,832–13,534	42.8	14.6	−23.6	2.81
			UF2	ANU4923	10,750±80	12,819–12,944
			UF3	ANU7612	10,510±80	12,154–12,770
			Combined calibrated age, years BP			12,154–13,534
P. elephantopus	NMNZ S.32670.8	WH, Sq A2, −100 cm	UF2	ANU4937	9,070±80	9,928–10,492  (9,891–10,407)	39.6	13.9	−23.5	2.86
			UF3	ANU7625	10,680±70	12,408–12,851
			Combined calibrated age, years BP			9,928–12,851
E. crassus	NMNZ S.32690	WH, Sq A1, −105 cm	ABA	NZA4079	10,470±130^1	12,382–12,620	n/a	n/a	−23.5	n/a
P. elephantopus	NMNZ S.32670.3	WH, Sq A1, −105 cm	UF1	ANU1606	11,490±80	13,196–13,537	43.1	14.9	−23.3	2.76
			UF2	ANU4925	11,180±70	12,938–13,215
			UF3	ANU7614	10,980±70	12,842–13,064
			Combined calibrated age, years BP			12,842–13,537
P. elephantopus	NMNZ S.32670.7	WH, Sq B2/B3, −110 cm	UF1	ANU1610	11,390±130	13,001–13,547	30.3	10.5	−23.0	2.85
P. elephantopus	NMNZ S.32670.2	WH, Sq B2, −120 cm	UF1	ANU1605	10,580±90	12,239–12,824	40.2	12.9	−23.8	3.04
			UF2	ANU4924	10,760±70	12,678–12,881
			UF3	ANU7613	10,610±80	12,395–12,817
			Combined calibrated age, years BP			12,239–12,881
Preparations under Prep Code are: ABA, acid base acid collagen preparation, used by Worthy and Holdaway (1996); UF1, ultrafiltration with Eezi and Vivaspin filters, stepped-combustion with silver wire; UF2, ultrafiltration with Vivaspin filters, combustion with silver powder, contaminated iron catalyst; UF3, ultrafiltration with Vivaspin filters, combustion with silver powder, modern ^14C-free iron catalyst.
^1Dates presented by Worthy and Holdaway (1996).
^2Radiocarbon dates were calibrated using the programme OxCal4.0 (available at www.c14.arch.ox.ac.uk) and the IntCal04 (Reimer et al. 2004) or ShCal04 (in parentheses; McCormac et al. 2004) calibration curves.
^3NZA4162 derives from a cervical vertebra (85 cm depth) from the base of the Moar (2008) Glencrieff sediment core used for pollen analysis and was used in the radiocarbon dating process. The vertebra was excavated 5 cm below NZA5712 (9030±160 yr BP, 80 cm depth) at the base of the core, in the same stratigraphic section. In addition, the spot sediment samples A1/B1 and F0 (75 cm depth) towards the centre of the deposit sample a significantly different and older vegetation than the sediment core (see Figure 5). This spread of radiocarbon dates and depths probably represents compression of radiocarbon ages at the base of the sediment core, but may also suggest contamination of NZA5712 resulting in a young date or a unconformity at the edge of the Glencrieff deposit.

Figure 4  In situ heavy-footed moa (Pachyornis elephantopus (Owen, 1856)) gizzard contents resting between the rib cage and sternum. Between the sternum and gizzard was a matted layer of grass material.

Figure 5  Pollen diagram for sediment core, spot samples (raw data from Appendix 6 in Worthy & Holdaway 1996), and sediment samples taken from around concentrations of moa gizzard stones, Glencrieff. * denotes trace values (< 1%). Taxonomic names follow the International Plant Names Index (2010). The grey shaded zone at the top of the figure represents the post-European era.

Table A1.1

Sample no.	Moa species	Limosella australis	Juncus	Carex	Ranunculus	Colobanthus	Chenopodiaceae	Unidentified
GC3	Moa	11	2	–	–	–	1	1
GC21 (X09/2/124)	E. crassus	–	–	1	–	1	3	2
GC23	Moa	3	10	5	–	1	–	4
GC94	Moa	8	8	3	–	–	–	1
GC115	Moa	1	51	–	–	–	1	4
GC124 (X09/2/21)	P. elephantopus		11	–	–	–	–	1
GC194	Moa	2	5	–	–	–	–	–
GC202	Moa	6	9	3	2	1	–	4

Table A2.1

Site name	Glencrieff moa swamp
Grid reference	M33 747042
Repository of material	CM, ACAD, NMNZ, K. Eaves numbered E1–E216
Collector	R. Scarlett – 1/4/71, K. Eaves – 1992, THW, RNH – Feb/March 1993, 24 March, 1994, NJR, JRW, PS – Feb 2007
Taphonomy	Swamp miring
Fossil record number	M33/f25
Species	Catalogue no.	x/y
Dinornis robustus ^1	CM Av25273	67/1
Dinornis robustus ^1	Eaves colln; NMNZ S32684-5; CM Av unregistered	51/4
Pachyornis elephantopus ^1	Eaves colln; NMNZ S32668–73, 32675, 32679, 32681, 32698, 32700, (2 juv); CM Av42004–5, 42008, 42035, 42063–64, 42069, 42083, 42097, 42104, 42107, 42110, 42112–13, 42117, 42121, 42123–24, 42129, 42133–35, 42138–39, 42141–42, 42146, 42150–51, 42156, 42158–61, 42169, 42172–3, 42177, 42182, 42184–86, 42192–97, 42199–200	830/22
Emeus crassus ^1	Eaves colln; NMNZ S32674, 32680, 32682, 32686, 32696–7, 32699, (1 juv, 4 subad); CM Av42018–20, 42067, 42071, 42082, 42105–6, 42111, 42114, 42116, 42119, 42120, 42122, 42130, 42137, 42144–45, 42147–48, 42152, 42162, 42168, 42170, 42174, 42176, 42179, 42180, 42187, 42198, 42204	873/21
Euryapteryx curtus ^1	ACAD colln	2/1
Emeid moa chick ^1	Eaves colln; NMNZ S32683, 32691	13/3
Unident. moa vertebrae	CM Av42000–02, 42006, 42007, 42009, 42011, 42016, 42017, 42025, 42027, 42029, 42031–32, 42034, 42040–41, 42046–49, 42051, 42053–54, 42056, 42061–2, 42066, 42070, 42072–74, 42077, 42085–87, 42096, 42099, 42100, 42102	Lots
Unident. moa ribs, pubes, ischia	CM Av42003, 42012–14, 42021, 42023, 42025–6, 42028, 42030, 42038–39, 42042, 42044, 42055, 42057, 42061, 42074–76, 42081, 42084, 42088–89, 42092, 42094–95, 42098, 42188–89, 42191	Lots
Unident. partial moa pelves	CM Av42060, 42065, 42078, 42101, 42128, 42132, 42149, 42153, 42154, 42166, 42175, 42181, 42202–03	14/n/a
Unident. partial moa sternum	CM Av42010	1/1
Unident. moa fibulae	CM Av42043, 42052, 42068, 42090–91, 42109, 42118, 42125–27, 42131, 42140, 42143, 42157, 42161, 42167, 42183, 42194	18/10
Unident. moa phalanges	CM Av42025, 42033, 42036–37, 42045, 42061, 42079, 42118	Lots
Unident. moa partial mandibles	CM Av42165, 42171	n/a
Unident. moa tracheal rings	CM Av42015, 42024, 42074, 42094–95, 42108	Lots
Apteryx sp.^2	NMNZ S33490	1/1
Coturnix novaezelandiae ^1	NMNZ S33476–483	13/2
Cyanoramphus sp.^3	NMNZ S33486	1/1
Coenocorypha iredalei ^1	NMNZ S33484–5; CM Av42080	2/1
Sceloglaux albifacies ^1	NMNZ S33491–2	4/1
Anthus novaeseelandiae ^2	NMNZ S33489	1/1
Aquila moorei ^1	NMNZ S28377–8	2/2
Anas chlorotis ^2	NMNZ S33487–8; CM Av42050	6/1
Nestor notabilis ^3	NMNZ S28376; CM Av42164	3/1
Gerygone igata ^4	CM Av unregistered	1/1
Gallirallus australis ^2	CM Av42115	1/1
Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae ^3	CM Av42155	1/1
Gallinula hodgenorum ^1	CM Av unregistered	4/1
Rallidae sp.^5	CM Av42190	1/1

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