Reexamination of the oldest pigeon (Aves: Columbidae) from Asia: Columba congi from the Early Pleistocene of Zhoukoudian, Beijing, China
Received date: 2020-12-07
Online published: 2021-07-20
Columba congi is an extinct species that was described as part of the Early Pleistocene (~1.7 Ma) fauna from locality 12 of the UNESCO Zhoukoudian or “Peking Man” site in Beijing, China. Only four partial humeri of the original type series of 11 bones can be located, and the features present in those specimens do not support the original diagnosis. However, our study and redescription shows that the straight and flat margin of the pneumotricipital fossa rim (in ventral view) and the relative distal position of the dorsal supracondylar tubercle may support the continued recognition of C. congi as a valid extinct species. Columba congi appears to be the oldest fossil of Columba in Asia, and it lived during a warmer and wetter period of time of the Pleistocene with a forested Zhoukoudian. Further study of pigeons from all localities at Zhoukoudian should help to resolve questions about pigeon biogeography and evolution, including possibly the time and center of origin of the globally distributedC. livia.
Key words： Zhoukoudian; Early Pleistocene; Columba; Columba congi; humerus
SHEN Wei, Thomas A. STIDHAM, LI Zhi-Heng . Reexamination of the oldest pigeon (Aves: Columbidae) from Asia: Columba congi from the Early Pleistocene of Zhoukoudian, Beijing, China[J]. Vertebrata Palasiatica, 2021 , 59(3) : 245 -256 . DOI: 10.19615/j.cnki.1000-3118.210304
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