TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessing the efficacy of genus-level data in archaeomalacology
T2 - A case study of the Hawaiian Limpet (Cellana spp.), Moloka‘i, Hawaiian Islands
AU - Rogers, Ashleigh
AU - Weisler, Marshall I.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by The Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE) (AINSE Honours Scholarship awarded to Rogers), an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship (Rogers), and the fieldwork was supported by a grant to Weisler from the School of Social Science, University of Queensland. We thank the Mendes family for their generosity and hospitality while staying at their homestead. Weisler especially thanks Walter Mendes for sharing his knowledge during countless marine harvesting sorties over the past nearly 40 years that have helped shape our understanding of ‘opihi (limpet) ecology and collecting strategies along the north coast of Moloka‘i. We appreciate the comments by Christina Giovas that helped sharpen and clarify our manuscript. We thank the four anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, Copyright © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2020/1/2
Y1 - 2020/1/2
N2 - The level to which faunal remains are taxonomically identified is of fundamental importance in zooarchaeological analysis. Species level identifications enable researchers to utilize specific ecological data and facilitate fine-grained reconstructions of human-animal-environment interactions such as prehistoric subsistence strategies, human impact on marine resources, environmental reconstruction, and contemporary animal management. A case study from a late prehistoric habitation complex at Kealapupuakiha, Moloka‘i, Hawaiian Islands, was employed to contrast the importance of genus vs. species-level identifications. Excavations yielded a large, well-preserved shellfish assemblage dominated by three endemic limpet species, Cellana exarata, C. sandwicensis, and C. talcosa. While these three limpets may be distinguished from each other with comprehensive reference collections, they are commonly investigated at the genus level (Cellana). Analyzing Hawaiian limpets to species-level allowed us to characterize the Kealapupuakiha inhabitants as a flexible group of harvesters who adjusted their species-specific subsistence strategies in response to resource fluctuations. We document that species-level determinations yield higher resolution data which is essential for addressing a broader suite of research questions and promotes refined interpretations of the past.
AB - The level to which faunal remains are taxonomically identified is of fundamental importance in zooarchaeological analysis. Species level identifications enable researchers to utilize specific ecological data and facilitate fine-grained reconstructions of human-animal-environment interactions such as prehistoric subsistence strategies, human impact on marine resources, environmental reconstruction, and contemporary animal management. A case study from a late prehistoric habitation complex at Kealapupuakiha, Moloka‘i, Hawaiian Islands, was employed to contrast the importance of genus vs. species-level identifications. Excavations yielded a large, well-preserved shellfish assemblage dominated by three endemic limpet species, Cellana exarata, C. sandwicensis, and C. talcosa. While these three limpets may be distinguished from each other with comprehensive reference collections, they are commonly investigated at the genus level (Cellana). Analyzing Hawaiian limpets to species-level allowed us to characterize the Kealapupuakiha inhabitants as a flexible group of harvesters who adjusted their species-specific subsistence strategies in response to resource fluctuations. We document that species-level determinations yield higher resolution data which is essential for addressing a broader suite of research questions and promotes refined interpretations of the past.
KW - archaeomalacology
KW - limpet (Cellana), genus vs. species quantification, foraging behavior, Hawaiian Islands
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85060909325&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/15564894.2018.1481467
DO - 10.1080/15564894.2018.1481467
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85060909325
SN - 1556-4894
VL - 15
SP - 28
EP - 56
JO - Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology
JF - Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology
IS - 1
ER -