Part 71

ANOMALOPTERYX REICHENBACH.

The skull is narrow and vaulted, with a long, sharp and slightly deflected beak. Breadth at the squamosals 1½ times the height at basi-temporal, which has a constricted praemaxillary ridge, and the quadrate with a very small pneumatic foramen. The mandible is V-shaped, with a slight inflection of the angle, and a distinct postarticular process. The symphysis is very narrow and pointed, with a long and narrow inferior ridge, not expanding markedly at either extremity. The sternum is longer, flatter and narrower than in Dinornis, having no distinct xiphisternal notch, three costal articulations, long and narrow costal processes, slender lateral processes which are often elongated, and usually no coracoidal facets. The pelvis is wider and lower than in Dinornis, with the lower border of the postacetabular portion of the ilium descending as a sharp ridge much below the level of the sacral ribs, and without any distinct pectineal process. A hallux is present. The tibio-tarsus and tarso-metatarsus are relatively shorter and stouter than in Dinornis, the latter being shorter than the femur, which is usually stouter and relatively shorter than in Megalapteryx. The length of the tarso-metatarsus is less than half that of the tibio-tarsus. The femur, besides being usually relatively shorter is readily distinguished from that of Dinornis by its more expanded extremities, the rather longer neck, and the much larger and ill-defined popliteal depression.

The vertebrae are of the general type of those of Pachyornis, but the anterior pneumatic foramen commences in the third dorsal. The phalangeals are intermediate between those of Dinornis and Pachyornis. Haast considered that the coracoid was aborted and often absent in this genus, in Emeus, and Pachyornis. As additional characters of the skull it may be mentioned that there is a prominent supra-occipital protuberance, and a depression on the squamosal above the quadrate; the par-occipital processes are pointed, and the basi-occipital processes only slightly prominent; so that the posterior profile of the basi-occipital is nearly straight. The quadrate has a very short anterior process.

All the species of the genus are small, in fact parvus is the smallest but one of the family.

Type of the genus: Anomalopteryx didiformis (Owen).

Number of species: 4. {202}

ANOMALOPTERYX DIDIFORMIS (OWEN.)

Dinornis didiformis Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. III, p. 242 (1844).

Anomalopteryx didiformis Reichenbach, Nat. Syst. der Vög. p. 30 (1850).

A. didiformis Lydekker, Cat. Fossil B. Brit. Mus., p. 275.

The present form is confined to the North Island. Owen's type was collected by the Revd. Wm. Williams, and came from Poverty Bay.

Habitat: North Island, New Zealand.

Portion of skeleton in Tring Museum.

ANOMALOPTERYX PARVUS (OWEN.)

Dinornis parvus Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. XI, pp. 233-256, pls. LI-LVII (1883).

Anomalopteryx didiformis Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 123 (1892), part.

A. parva Lydekker, t.c., p. 278.

This small form is confined to the Middle Island. The type, a skeleton in almost complete condition, was dug up in a cave at Takaka, near Nelson, and is now in the British Museum. A much less perfect skeleton is in my museum at Tring.

Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand.

ANOMALOPTERYX ANTIQUUS HUTT.

Avian Remains Forbes, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIII, p. 369 (1891).

Anomalopteryx antiquus Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 124 (1892).

A. antiquus was named by Captain Hutton from the photographs of bones described by Dr. Forbes in the above-quoted article. The evidence is very slight on which to found a species, but I prefer to treat it as one, for the bones were discovered in the Upper Miocene, a much older stratum than most remains of Dinornithidae occur in.

Locality: Timaru, Middle Island, New Zealand. {203}

ANOMALOPTERYX FORTIS HUTT.

Anomalopteryx fortis Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXV, p. 9 (1893).

This is the largest of the genus, and the type bones came from Glenmark. I append comparative table of Measurements:

--------------+-------------------+------------------+------------- | Tarso-metatarsus. | Tibio-tarsus. | Femur. --------------+-------------------+------------------+------------- A. fortis | 8.0 inches. | 17.5 inches. | 9.8 inches. A. didiformis | 6.3 " | 13.3 " | 8.0 " A. parvus | 6.3 " | 13.7 " | 8.5 " --------------+-------------------+------------------+-------------