Faunal and floral remains from Earnscleugh Cave, Central Otago, New Zealand

Geoffrey R. Clark; Peter Petchey; Matthew S. McGlone; Peter Bristow

doi:10.1080/03014223.1996.9517515

Faunal and floral remains from Earnscleugh Cave, Central Otago, New Zealand

Geoffrey R. Clark, Peter Petchey, Matthew S. McGlone, Peter Bristow

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

25 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Earnscleugh Cave, near Alexandra in Central Otago, was excavated in order to recover and date faunal and floral remains and to provide a palaeoenvironmental analysis. The pollen analysis showed that a complex vegetation community, comprising a dense scrub with local stands of podcarps, grew around the cave during the late Holocene and before Polynesian deforestation. The results from Earnscleugh Cave suggest that at this time permanent water‐courses on the flanks of Central Otago ranges supported diverse and rich plant communities of forest and shrubland. The cave fauna included moas Euiyapteryx geranoides. Emeus crassus and Dinornis giganteus, goose Cnemiornis calcitrans, Finsch's duck Euryanas finschi, kea Nestor notabilis, rifleman Acanthisitta chloris, robin Petroica austrailis, tuatara Sphenodon sp. and greater short‐tailed bat Mystacina cf. robusta.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	363-380
Number of pages	18
Journal	Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand
Volume	26
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/03014223.1996.9517515
Publication status	Published - Sept 1996

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10.1080/03014223.1996.9517515

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@article{716092a0ec074caeadf0c22316896237,

title = "Faunal and floral remains from Earnscleugh Cave, Central Otago, New Zealand",

abstract = "Earnscleugh Cave, near Alexandra in Central Otago, was excavated in order to recover and date faunal and floral remains and to provide a palaeoenvironmental analysis. The pollen analysis showed that a complex vegetation community, comprising a dense scrub with local stands of podcarps, grew around the cave during the late Holocene and before Polynesian deforestation. The results from Earnscleugh Cave suggest that at this time permanent water‐courses on the flanks of Central Otago ranges supported diverse and rich plant communities of forest and shrubland. The cave fauna included moas Euiyapteryx geranoides. Emeus crassus and Dinornis giganteus, goose Cnemiornis calcitrans, Finsch's duck Euryanas finschi, kea Nestor notabilis, rifleman Acanthisitta chloris, robin Petroica austrailis, tuatara Sphenodon sp. and greater short‐tailed bat Mystacina cf. robusta.",

keywords = "Late Holocene, Moa habitat, Otago, Palaeoenvironmcnt, Palaeofauna, South Island",

author = "Clark, {Geoffrey R.} and Peter Petchey and McGlone, {Matthew S.} and Peter Bristow",

year = "1996",

month = sep,

doi = "10.1080/03014223.1996.9517515",

language = "English",

volume = "26",

pages = "363--380",

journal = "Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand",

issn = "0303-6758",

publisher = "Taylor and Francis Ltd.",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Faunal and floral remains from Earnscleugh Cave, Central Otago, New Zealand

AU - Clark, Geoffrey R.

AU - Petchey, Peter

AU - McGlone, Matthew S.

AU - Bristow, Peter

PY - 1996/9

Y1 - 1996/9

N2 - Earnscleugh Cave, near Alexandra in Central Otago, was excavated in order to recover and date faunal and floral remains and to provide a palaeoenvironmental analysis. The pollen analysis showed that a complex vegetation community, comprising a dense scrub with local stands of podcarps, grew around the cave during the late Holocene and before Polynesian deforestation. The results from Earnscleugh Cave suggest that at this time permanent water‐courses on the flanks of Central Otago ranges supported diverse and rich plant communities of forest and shrubland. The cave fauna included moas Euiyapteryx geranoides. Emeus crassus and Dinornis giganteus, goose Cnemiornis calcitrans, Finsch's duck Euryanas finschi, kea Nestor notabilis, rifleman Acanthisitta chloris, robin Petroica austrailis, tuatara Sphenodon sp. and greater short‐tailed bat Mystacina cf. robusta.

AB - Earnscleugh Cave, near Alexandra in Central Otago, was excavated in order to recover and date faunal and floral remains and to provide a palaeoenvironmental analysis. The pollen analysis showed that a complex vegetation community, comprising a dense scrub with local stands of podcarps, grew around the cave during the late Holocene and before Polynesian deforestation. The results from Earnscleugh Cave suggest that at this time permanent water‐courses on the flanks of Central Otago ranges supported diverse and rich plant communities of forest and shrubland. The cave fauna included moas Euiyapteryx geranoides. Emeus crassus and Dinornis giganteus, goose Cnemiornis calcitrans, Finsch's duck Euryanas finschi, kea Nestor notabilis, rifleman Acanthisitta chloris, robin Petroica austrailis, tuatara Sphenodon sp. and greater short‐tailed bat Mystacina cf. robusta.

KW - Late Holocene

KW - Moa habitat

KW - Otago

KW - Palaeoenvironmcnt

KW - Palaeofauna

KW - South Island

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U2 - 10.1080/03014223.1996.9517515

DO - 10.1080/03014223.1996.9517515

M3 - Article

SN - 0303-6758

VL - 26

SP - 363

EP - 380

JO - Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand

JF - Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand

IS - 3

ER -

Faunal and floral remains from Earnscleugh Cave, Central Otago, New Zealand

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