Falco kurochkini Suárez & Olson, 2001

35. † Falco kurochkini Suárez & Olson, 2001

Cuban Falcon (Halcón Cubano)

Falco kurochkini Suárez & Olson, 2001a , Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 114: 35.

History.— 1973: Eugene N. Kurochkin collects the first specimen, an incomplete tarsometatarsus at Cueva de los Fósiles, Camagüey province ( Suárez & Olson 2001a: 34; see Olson 1985, Olson & Kurochkin 1987). 4 May 1997: holotype collected by WS in a cave deposit in western Cuba ( Suárez & Olson 2001a: 35). Autumn 2000: specimens of the type series from western Cuba recorded as ‘ Falconidae View in CoL indeterminate’ ( Suárez 2000b: table 1). 19 April 2001: original description published ( Suárez & Olson 2001a). April 2004: reported from its westernmost known fossil locality ( Suárez 2004b: 156), Cueva El Abrón, an ancient barn owl pellet deposit in mountains of Pinar del Río province ( Suárez & Díaz-Franco 2003: 375).

Holotype.—Left tarsometatarsus, MNHNCu 75.3229, formerly P3229, WS 1054 ( Suárez & Olson 2001a: 35, fig. 2D [anterior]; see also Díaz-Franco 2004: 157, Herrera-Uria et al. 2015: 114). Collected 4 May 1997 by WS in a small sink known as ‘El Sumidero’, at the type locality ( Suárez & Olson 2001a; 35; see Suárez 2000b).

Other material.— Coracoid: right, MNHNCu 75.3209 (fig. 1A [ventral]); left, USNM 510237. Humerus: left, MNHNCu 75.3210 (fig. 1B [anconal]), USNM 510238; left lacking pectoral crest, USNM 510239; incomplete left, MNHNCu 75.3211; proximal left, MNHNCu 75.3212–3214; right lacking proximal end, MNHNCu 75.3215; proximal right, USNM 510238; distal right, USNM 510241. Ulna: proximal right, MNHNCu 75.3217, USNM 510242; distal right, MNHNCu 75.3219; proximal left, MNHNCu 75.3216 (fig. 1C [internal]); distal left, MNHNCu 75.3218, USNM 510249 (fig. 1C [internal]). Carpometacarpus: proximal right, MNHNCu 75.3220 (fig. 1D [external]). Notarium: incomplete, MNHNCu 75.3221 (fig. 2A [ventral]). Femur: left, MNHNCu 75.3222 (fig. 2B [anterior]), USNM 510243; distal half of right, MNHNCu 75.3226; left lacking distal end, MNHNCu 75.3223; proximal left, MNHNCu 75.3224–3225, USNM 510244. Tibiotarsus: right, MNHNCu 75.3227 (fig. 2C [anterior]); left, USNM 510245; proximal half of left, USNM 510246; right lacking proximal end, MNHNCu 75.3230; distal right, MNHNCu 75.3228. Tarsometatarsus: right lacking proximal end, USNM 510247; left lacking distal end, IGP/ACC 406-3 (fig. 2E [anterior]); shaft of left, USNM 510248. Cited material and figures are from Suárez & Olson (2001a). See also Díaz-Franco (2004: 157), Herrera-Uria et al. (2015: 114).

Type locality.— Cueva de Sandoval ( ASA), c. 4 km south of the town of Vereda Nueva, municipality of Caimito, Artemisa [formerly La Habana] province, Cuba ( Suárez & Olson 2001a: 35). Fig. 6 View Figure 6 .

Distribution.—Cave deposits in west and central Cuba (see Appendix). Pinar del Río. Los Palacios: PEA ( Suárez 2004b: 156). Artemisa. Caimito: ACP ( Suárez & Olson 2001a: 36), ASA = type locality ( Suárez 2000b: table 1 [‘ Falconidae indeterminate’], Suárez & Olson 2001a: 35–36 [‘ Falco kurochkini , new species’]). Mayabeque. San José de las Lajas: YCC ( Jiménez & Orihuela 2021: 169). Camagüey. Sierra de Cubitas: CFO ( Suárez & Olson 2001a: 36).

Direct 14 C dating .—None. For dating of associated fauna at PEA (17,406 ± 161 14 C yr BP), see Suárez & Díaz-Franco (2003: 373).

Notes.—Known by most postcranial elements. Present in some cave deposits ( Suárez 2000b: 67, 2004b: 156, Jiménez & Orihuela 2021: 169) containing ancient barn owl pellets ( cf. Tyto furcata and T. noeli ), as this extinct falcon was frequently predated by tytonids. F. kurochkini had marked terrestrial habits with hindlimb elements slenderer than in any congeneric ( Suárez & Olson 2001a: 37).