Haile-Selassie Yohannes, Melillo Stephanie M, Ryan Timothy M, Levin Naomi E, Saylor Beverly Z, Deino Alan, Mundil Ronald, Scott Gary, Gibert Luis
Department of Physical Anthropology, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, 1 Wade Oval Drive, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Department of Anthropology, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Department of Anatomy, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Department of Cognitive Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Evolution, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany.
J Hum Evol. 2016 Nov;100:35-53. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.08.003.
Australopithecus afarensis is the best-known and most dimorphic species in the early hominin fossil record. Here, we present a comparative description of new fossil specimens of Au. afarensis from Nefuraytu, a 3.330-3.207 million-years-old fossil collection area in the Woranso-Mille study area, central Afar, Ethiopia. These specimens include NFR-VP-1/29, one of the most complete mandibles assigned to the species thus far and among the largest mandibles attributed to Au. afarensis, likely representing a male individual. NFR-VP-1/29 retains almost all of the distinctive archaic features documented for Au. afarensis. These features include a posteriorly sloping symphysis, a low and rounded basally set inferior transverse torus, anterosuperiorly opening mental foramen, a lateral corpus hollow bound anteriorly by the C/P jugae and posteriorly by the lateral prominence, and the ascending ramus arising high on the corpus. Dental morphology and metrics of the Nefuraytu specimens also falls within the range of Au. afarensis. The presence of this species at Woranso-Mille between 3.330 and 3.207 million years ago confirms the existence of this species in the area in close spatial and temporal proximity to other middle Pliocene hominin taxa such as the one represented by the Burtele foot (BRT-VP-2/73) and the recently named species Australopithecus deyiremeda. This has important implications for our understanding of middle Pliocene hominin diversity.
阿法南方古猿是早期人类化石记录中最著名且两性异形最明显的物种。在此，我们对来自内富拉伊图的阿法南方古猿新化石标本进行了比较描述，内富拉伊图是埃塞俄比亚阿法中部沃兰索 - 米勒研究区域内一个距今333 - 320.7万年的化石采集区。这些标本包括NFR - VP - 1/29，它是迄今为止归属于该物种的最完整下颌骨之一，也是归属于阿法南方古猿的最大下颌骨之一，很可能代表一个雄性个体。NFR - VP - 1/29保留了几乎所有已记录的阿法南方古猿独特的古老特征。这些特征包括向后倾斜的联合部、基部较低且呈圆形的下横嵴、向前上方开口的颏孔、由C/P颧突向前和外侧隆起向后界定的外侧体中空、以及在体部较高位置升起的升支。内富拉伊图标本的牙齿形态和测量数据也在阿法南方古猿的范围内。该物种在333 - 320.7万年前出现在沃兰索 - 米勒，证实了该物种在该地区的存在，在空间和时间上与其他上新世中期人类分类群（如由布尔泰尔足部（BRT - VP - 2/73）代表的分类群以及最近命名的德伊尔梅达南方古猿物种）紧密相邻。这对于我们理解上新世中期人类多样性具有重要意义。
