Revision of Plioperdix (Aves: Phasianidae) from the Plio-Pleistocene of Ukraine

Abstract

Remains of small phasianid birds from several Pliocene and Pleistocene localities in the Northern Black Sea Region and Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Moldova, Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary) are traditionally, based on similar proportions, assigned to Plioperdix pontica (Tugarinov, 1940). Our study of the bone material from Ukraine has shown that they in fact belong to several taxa of Galliformes. The remains from the localities of the Kuchurganian faunal assemblage (MN 14) can be attributed to Eurobambusicola turolicus Zelenkov, 2016, and supposedly to “Plioperdix” hungarica (Janossy, 1991). Plioperdix pontica is characterized by morphological similarity to modern Coturnix and is represented mainly by bone remains from the Odessa catacombs locality (upper part of Zone MN 15) and several localities of Zone MN 16, including Rebielice Krolewskie-2 (Poland). In the Middle Villafranchian localities (for example, Kotlovina; as well as Etulia-3, Moldova; Zone MN 17) remains of another unnamed form, which reliably differs from P. pontica in most skeletal elements, prevail. Previous descriptions and diagnoses of Plioperdix pontica, which were based on mixed bone materials of various taxa, are revised. Problems of the taxonomy of small Neogene–Pleistocene phasianids from the Northern Black Sea region and Eastern Europe are discussed.