Spoor Fred, Hublin Jean-Jacques, Braun Marc, Zonneveld Frans
Evolutionary Anatomy Unit, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, University College London, Rockefeller Building, University Street, London WC1E 6JJ, UK.
J Hum Evol. 2003 Feb;44(2):141-65. doi: 10.1016/s0047-2484(02)00166-5.
This paper presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of the Neanderthal bony labyrinth, a structure located inside the petrous temporal bone. Fifteen Neanderthal specimens are compared with a Holocene human sample, as well as with a small number of European Middle Pleistocene hominins, and early anatomically modern and European Upper Palaeolithic humans. Compared with Holocene humans the bony labyrinth of Neanderthals can be characterized by an anterior semicircular canal arc which is smaller in absolute and relative size, is relatively narrow, and shows more torsion. The posterior semicircular canal arc is smaller in absolute and relative size as well, it is more circular in shape, and is positioned more inferiorly relative to the lateral canal plane. The lateral semicircular canal arc is absolutely and relatively larger. Finally, the Neanderthal ampullar line is more vertically inclined relative to the planar orientation of the lateral canal. The European Upper Palaeolithic and early modern humans are most similar, although not fully identical to Holocene humans in labyrinthine morphology. The European Middle Pleistocene hominins show the typical semicircular canal morphology of Neanderthals, with the exception of the arc shape and inferiorly position of the posterior canal and the strongly inclined ampullar line. The marked difference between the labyrinths of Neanderthals and modern humans can be used to assess the phylogenetic affinities of fragmentary temporal bone fossils. However, this application is limited by a degree of overlap between the morphologies. The typical shape of the Neanderthal labyrinth appears to mirror aspects of the surrounding petrous pyramid, and both may follow from the phylogenetic impact of Neanderthal brain morphology moulding the shape of the posterior cranial fossa. The functionally important arc sizes of the Neanderthal semicircular canals may reflect a pattern of head movements different from that of modern humans, possibly related to aspects of locomotor behaviour and the kinematic properties of their head and neck.
本文对位于颞骨岩部内的尼安德特人骨迷路进行了全面的比较分析。将15个尼安德特人标本与一个全新世人类样本、少量欧洲中更新世古人类以及早期解剖学意义上的现代人类和欧洲旧石器时代晚期人类进行了比较。与全新世人类相比，尼安德特人的骨迷路具有以下特征：前半规管弧的绝对尺寸和相对尺寸较小，相对较窄，且扭转程度更大。后半规管弧的绝对尺寸和相对尺寸也较小，形状更圆，相对于外侧半规管平面的位置更低。外侧半规管弧的绝对尺寸和相对尺寸更大。最后，尼安德特人的壶腹线相对于外侧半规管的平面方向更垂直倾斜。欧洲旧石器时代晚期人类和早期现代人类在迷路形态上与全新世人类最为相似，尽管并非完全相同。欧洲中更新世古人类表现出尼安德特人典型的半规管形态，但后规管的弧形状和较低位置以及强烈倾斜的壶腹线除外。尼安德特人和现代人类迷路之间的显著差异可用于评估颞骨化石碎片的系统发育亲缘关系。然而，这种应用受到形态学上一定程度重叠的限制。尼安德特人迷路的典型形状似乎反映了周围岩锥的某些方面，两者可能都源于尼安德特人脑部形态对后颅窝形状塑造的系统发育影响。尼安德特人半规管在功能上重要的弧尺寸可能反映了与现代人类不同的头部运动模式，这可能与他们的运动行为以及头部和颈部的运动学特性有关。
