Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 96. (Budapest 2004)

Csorba, G., Buzás, B. ; Farkas, B.: A previously undescribed skull of Steller's sea cow, Hydrodamalis gigas (Mammalia: Sirenia: Dugongidae) in the Hungarian Natural History Museum

well as more than 800.000 fish, reptile, bird and invertebrate specimens of the Department of Zoology located in Baross street were burnt out by shells of Soviet troops during the 1956 revolution (KORSÓS & HORVÁTH 1996, MIHÁLYI 1996). Even though the active role of the Red Army in destroying these collections was "officially" disputed, and the credibility of the reports questioned by some (e.g. FÜLEP 1957), thousands of duplicate specimens from different animal groups housed in Soviet institutions were donated to the museum to compensate for losses. The Hydrodamalis gigas skull from the Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg (ZIN) was one of these duplicates. The only phrase in the catalogue of ZIN under the number 6851 concerning the specimen reads "was sent to Hungary in 1957" (A. TlKHONOV, pers. comm. 2003). The collector of the specimen, N. A. GREBNITSKIJ worked in the Russian Far East at the end of the 19th century and brougth to St. Petersburg a comprehensive zoological collection including some skulls and skeletons of sea cow. However, as it is turned out during the examination of the ZIN 6851 specimen the cranium and the mandible actually belong to two different individuals, where the cranium represents a larger and the mandible a smaller specimen. Therefore the cranium is bearing the original accession number HNHM 65.11.1., while the mandible is recently inventored under a separate number as HNHM 2004.9.1. DESCRIPTION OF SPECIMENS The locality is given according to the original label. The anatomical terminology followed that of DOMNING ( 1978); selected linear measurements are taken according to PlLLERl (1988) and given in cm. Figs 4-5. Lateral (4) and lingual view (5) of mandible of Hydrodamalis gigas HNHM 2004.9.1.