Antigone cubensis (Fischer & Stephan, 1971), 2020

Suárez, William, 2022, Catalogue of Cuban fossil and subfossil birds, Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 142 (1), pp. 247-248 : 19-21

3. † Antigone cubensis (Fischer & Stephan, 1971)

Cuban Flightless Crane (Grulla Cubana)

Grus cubensis Fischer & Stephan, 1971a , Wiss. Zeitsch. Humboldt-Univ. Berlin, Math.- Nat . R. 20: 565. Ciconia : Castellanos 1968: 4.

Grus cubensis : Fischer & Stephan 1971a: 565.

G [rus]. cubanensis: Kilmer & Steadman 2016: table 3 (lapsus calami).

Antigone cubensis : Suárez 2020a: 6.

History.— April 1968: first notice of material collected by the Cuban-German Expedition, being tentatively identified as ‘ Ciconia ’ ( Castellanos 1968). The name Baeopteryx cubensis (nomen nudum) appears ( Fischer 1968: 271) with the comment ‘wie der pleistozäne Cuba- Kranich später heissen soll’ [‘as the Pleistocene Cuban crane will later be called’]), without indication of type material or catalogue numbers, along with comments on the proportions of some elements. Referred to as a flightless crane for the first time: ‘Flugunfähiger Kranich aus dem Pleistozän Cubas’ [‘Flightless crane from the Pleistocene of Cuba’] ( Fischer 1968). 1971: original description of Grus cubensis published ( Fischer & Stephan 1971a). September 1995: first record outside the type locality, in Cueva del Indio, Mayabeque (formerly La Habana) province, west Cuba ( Jiménez Vázquez & Valdés Ruiz 1995: 62, not Suárez 2000b: table 1). December 2000: reported from asphalt deposits at Las Breas de San Felipe, Matanzas province ( Iturralde-Vinent et al. 2000: table 2). 22 May 2020: direct 14 C dating of material from tar seeps and treated under new combination Antigone cubensis (Suárez 2020a: 6, table 2).

Holotype.—Skull with its respective mandible and left quadrate [but not ‘atlas’, see ‘Notes’], Av. 1/67, at CZACC ( Fischer 1968: 271, fig. unnumbered* [lateral], Fischer 1970: 234, Plate 1*, skull: a [lateral], e [dorsal], f [ventral], g [posterior]; quadrate: c [lateral]; mandible: b [lateral], d [dorsal]; Arredondo 1971: 96, fig. centre left unnumbered*: top [lateral], Fischer & Stephan, 1971a: 565, Figs. 26*: skull and quadrate [lateral], 27*: mandible [lateral], 28*: skull [ventral], 29*: skull [posterior]; pl. 1, skull: 1 [lateral], 4 [dorsal], 5 [ventral], mandible: 2 [lateral], 3 [dorsal]). Collected summer 1967 by the Cuban-German Expedition [= Wolfgang Reichel, Hans-Hartmat Krueger, Karlheinz Fischer, Gustavo Furrazola Bermúdez, Manuel Acevedo González, Néstor Mayo and Manuel Iturralde Vinent ( Castellanos 1968: 4)] in El Abismo [= Furnia del Aguacero, or del Abismo] at the type locality ( Fischer & Stephan 1971a: 565, see also Fischer 1968: 270, 1970: 233–235).

Other material.— Skull: calvaria, Av. 2/67, Av. 5–11/67, Av. 15–16/67; crania, Av. 3–4/67. Mandible: ‘upper and lower’, Av. 12/67; ‘lowers’, Av. 13–14/67. Vertebra: atlases, Av. 17 (fig. 7*: a [anterior], b [posterior]) to 18/76; axes, Av. 19 (fig. 8* [lateral]) to 20/67; cervical 3, Av. 21–24/67; cervical 4, Av. 25–28/67; cervical 5, Av. 29–35/67; cervical 6, Av. 36–42/67; cervical 7, Av. 43/67; cervical 8–2, Av. 44–51/67, Av. 52 (fig. 9*: a [dorsal], b [ventral], c [lateral], d [anterior], e [posterior]) to 63/67; cervical 13 to 14, Av. 102–110/67; cervical 15, Av. 111–118/67; cervical 16, Av. 119–126/67; cervical 17, Av. 127–143/67; cervical indet., Av. 144–149/67; thoracic 1, Av. 150–159/67; thoracic 2, Av. 160–161/67; thoracic 3–5, Av. 162– 163/67; thoracic 5–8, Av. 164 (fig. 10*: a [lateral], b [anterior]) to 192/67; thoracic indet., Av. 193–194/67. Rib: right, Av. 195–198/67; left, Av. 199–205/67. Sternum: incomplete, Av. 206/67 (fig. 31* [lateral]). Coracoid: right, Av. 207 (fig. 32*: a [ventral], b [dorsal]) to 210/67; left, Av. 211/67. Scapula: right, Av. 212 (fig. 33*: a [dorsal], b [ventral]) to 218/67, Av. 227/67; left, Av. 219–226/67, Av. 228/67. Furcula: right, Av. 229–231/67; left, Av. 232 (fig. 14*: a [internal], b [external]) to 235/67. Humerus: right, Av. 236/67, 237 (fig. 34*: a [anconal], b [palmar]) to 239/67; right without distal end, Av. 240/67; proximal half of right, Av. 241/67; proximal half of left, Av. 242/67; distal ends of left, Av 243/67, Av 247/67; left without distal end, Av 244/67; proximal end of left, Av 245/67; shaft piece of left, Av 246/67. Radius: right, Av 248/67 (fig. 35*: a [dorsal], b [ventral]); proximal ends of right, Av 249–257/67, Av 274/67; distal ends of right, Av 258–265/67, Av. 275/67; proximal ends of left, Av. 266–269/67; distal ends of left, Av. 270–273/67. Ulna: distal ends of right, Av. 276–277/67; distal ends of left, Av. 278 (fig. 36*: a [dorsal], b [ventral]) to 280/67. Carpometacarpus: right, Av. 281/67; fragmentary right, Av. 282–284/67; left, Av. 285/67 (fig. 37*: a [medial], b [lateral]), Av. 287/67; left without proximal end, Av. 286/67; left without distal end, Av. 288/67. Pelvis: incomplete, Av. 289 (fig. 30*: a [dorsal], b [ventral]) to 292/67; synsacral vertebrae 1–2, Av. 293/67. Femur: right, Av. 294/67 (fig. 38*: a [anterior], b [posterior]); shaft of right, Av. 295/67; left without proximal end, Av. 296/67; fragmentary proximal half of left, Av. 297/67; distal end of left, Av. 298/67; shaft of left, Av. 299/67; distal articular region, Av. 300/67. Tibiotarsus: right, Av. 301 (fig. 39*: a [anterior], b [posterior]) to 304/67; right without proximal ends, Av. 313–317/67; distal ends of right, Av. 322–327/67; shafts of right, Av. 334–335/67; left, Av. 305–312/67; left without proximal ends, Av. 318–321/67; distal ends of left, Av. 328–333/67; shaft of left, Av. 336/67. Fibula: right, Av. 337 (fig. 40*: a [medial], b [lateral]) to 340/67; left, Av. 341–342/67. Tarsometatarsus: right, Av. 343 (fig. 41*: a [anterior], b [posterior]) to 352/67; proximal ends of right, Av. 361–364/67; right without proximal end, Av. 372/67; distal ends of right, Av. 373–375/67; left, Av. 353–360/67; proximal ends of left, Av. 365–371/67; distal ends of left, Av. 376–381/67. Phalanges: right digit II, phalanx 1, Av. 382–390/67; right digit II, phalanx 2, Av. 391–393/67; right digit III, phalanx 1, Av. 407–412/67; right digit IV, phalanx 1, Av. 433–438/67; left digit II, phalanx 1, Av. 394–403/67; left digit II, phalanx 2, Av. 404–406/67; left digit III, phalanx 1, Av. 413–422/67; left digit IV, phalanx 1, Av. 439–443/67; digit III, phalanx 2, Av. 423–429/67; digit III, phalanx 3, Av. 430–432/67; digit IV, phalanx 2, Av. 444– 447/67; digit IV, phalanx 3, Av. 448–450/67; digit I?, phalanx 1, Av. 451/67; ungual phalanges, Av. 452–456/67. Cited material and figures are from Fischer & Stephan (1971a), in which catalogue numbers on figure legends are preceded by ‘67/’, contrary to the holotype, or the same paratypes listed in their table 1.

Type locality.— Caverna de Pío Domingo ( PPD), Sierra de Sumidero, municipality of Minas de Matahambre, Pinar del Río province, Cuba ( Fischer & Stephan 1971a: 565). Fig. 3 .

Distribution.—Cave and asphalt deposits in west Cuba (see Appendix). Pinar del Río. Minas de Matahambre: PPD = type locality ( Castellanos 1968: 4 [‘ Ciconia ’], Fischer 1968: 271 [‘ Baeopteryx cubensis ’], Fischer 1970: 234 [‘ Baeopteryx ’], Arredondo 1971: 95 [‘ Baeopteryx cubensis ’], Acevedo González 1971: 36 [‘ Baeopteryx cubensis ’], Fischer & Stephan 1971a: 565 [‘ Grus cubensis , nov. spec. ’], Arredondo 1984: 13 [‘ Grus cubensis ’ see ‘Notes’]). Artemisa. Caimito: ACP (cf. Suárez & Arredondo 1997: 101 [‘ Grus cubensis ’], Arredondo & Arredondo 2002a: table 1 [‘ Grus cubensis ’], 2002b: table 1 [‘ Grus cubensis ’]), ASA ( Suárez 2000b: table 1 [‘ Grus cubensis ’]). Mayabeque. San José de las Lajas: YCI ( Jiménez Vázquez & Valdés Ruiz 1995: 62 [‘ Grus cubensis ’], Rojas Consuegra et al. 2012: 6, 10 [‘ Grus cubensis ’]). Matanzas. Martí: MLB ( Iturralde-Vinent et al. 2000: table 2 [‘ Grus cubensis ’], fig. 6 = tarsometatarsus: A [anterior], Suárez 2020a: 6–7, fig. 3A–D = tibiotarsus: A [anterior], B [distal], C [medial], D [posterior], 3E–F = tarsometatarsus: E [anterior], F [proximal], 3G–J = tarsometatarsus: G [posterior], H [medial], I [anterior], J [distal]).

Direct 14 C dating .—Late Pleistocene ( MLB): 22,900 ± 2,700 14 C yr BP (Suárez 2020a: table 2, tibiotarsus).

Notes.—Remains of this large crane are known to be common in just three Cuban Quaternary deposits (see Fischer & Stephan 1971a, Rojas Consuegra et al. 2012, Suárez 2020a). In the original description, Fischer & Stephan (1971a: 565) mentioned: ‘Cranium mit Atlas (Abb. 7–12), Universität Habana, Av. 1/67’ [‘Cranium with atlas (fig. 7–12), University of Havana, Av. 1/67’]. The indication of ‘atlas’ seems to be a mistake for mandible, as no atlas with the catalogue number of the holotype is mentioned in the text or figures of this work. The only two atlases mentioned are paratypes ( Fischer & Stephan 1971a, fig. 7, table 1, see ‘Other material’ above). Otherwise, in figures the mandible and a left quadrate accompanying the skull has the same number, Av. 1/67, as the holotype. Fischer (1968) tentatively identified this species as a member of Baeopteryx Wetmore , a genus described as a fossil from Bermuda ( Wetmore 1960), but considered subsequently to be a junior synonym of Grus Brisson ( Fischer & Stephan 1971a: 574; see Olson & Wingate 2000: 356). Use of ‘ Grus cubensis ( Fischer, 1968) ’ by Arredondo (1975: 146, 1984: 13) and Arredondo Antúnez (1997: 5) is incorrect, being based on ‘ Baeopteryx cubensis ’, which name is not available (see ‘History’ and ICZN 1999, Art. 15.1). Apart from its large size and other osteological characters related to flightlessness, the Cuban species is most similar to Antigone antigone ( Linnaeus, 1758) and A. canadensis ( Linnaeus, 1758) in features of the skull, rather than to Grus americana ( Linnaeus, 1758) . Recently, Mayr et al. (2020) considered species of the genus Antigone under Grus Brisson.