Suwa Gen, Asfaw Berhane, Kono Reiko T, Kubo Daisuke, Lovejoy C Owen, White Tim D
University Museum, University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
Science. 2009 Oct 2;326(5949):68e1-7.
The highly fragmented and distorted skull of the adult skeleton ARA-VP-6/500 includes most of the dentition and preserves substantial parts of the face, vault, and base. Anatomical comparisons and micro-computed tomography-based analysis of this and other remains reveal pre-Australopithecus hominid craniofacial morphology and structure. The Ardipithecus ramidus skull exhibits a small endocranial capacity (300 to 350 cubic centimeters), small cranial size relative to body size, considerable midfacial projection, and a lack of modern African ape-like extreme lower facial prognathism. Its short posterior cranial base differs from that of both Pan troglodytes and P. paniscus. Ar. ramidus lacks the broad, anteriorly situated zygomaxillary facial skeleton developed in later Australopithecus. This combination of features is apparently shared by Sahelanthropus, showing that the Mio-Pliocene hominid cranium differed substantially from those of both extant apes and Australopithecus.
成年骨骼ARA-VP-6/500高度破碎和扭曲的头骨包含了大部分齿列，并保留了面部、颅顶和颅底的大部分结构。对该头骨及其他遗骸进行的解剖学比较和基于微计算机断层扫描的分析揭示了南方古猿之前的原始人类颅面形态和结构。拉密达地猿的头骨颅内容积较小（300至350立方厘米），相对于身体大小而言颅骨尺寸较小，面部中部有相当程度的前突，且没有现代非洲猿类那样极端的下面部前凸。其较短的后颅底与黑猩猩和倭黑猩猩的后颅底均不同。拉密达地猿缺少南方古猿后期发育出的宽阔的、位于前方的颧上颌面部骨骼。乍得沙赫人显然也具有这种特征组合，这表明中新世-上新世的原始人类颅骨与现存猿类和南方古猿的颅骨有很大不同。
