A REVISION OF THE LATE PLEISTOCENE AND HOLOCENE GALLIFORMES FAUNAS OF THE CRIMEAN MOUNTAINS

摘要

The Late Pleistocene and Holocene Galliformes faunas of the Crimean Mountains included seven species of birds belonging to the families Phasianidae and Tetraonidae: Phasianus colchicus, Alectoris chukar, Perdix perdix, Coturnix coturnix, Lyrurus tetrix, Lagopus mutus, Lagopus lagopus. In the Late Pleistocene, the habitation of Gallus representatives in the Crimea was not confirmed. Representatives of the family Phasianidae were present in the Crimean fauna at least for most of the late Pleistocene. All of them survived until the late Holocene. Pheasant became extinct around the eighteenth century, and rock partridge seems to have disappeared only in the first half of the twentieth century. The species were restored in the Crimea in the second half of the twentieth century. Gray partridges were common resident birds of the Crimean Mountains throughout the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Quail was not a numerous breeding species of the Crimean Mountains in the same time, but mass migration of this species through the Crimea appeared only in the final Late Pleistocene and evolved over the Holocene warming. Species of Tetraonidae appeared in the fauna of the Crimea long before the beginning of the cold-phase maximum of the last glaciations but no later than 28 thousand years ago and became extinct in the early Holocene warming but no later than nine thousand years ago.