Laird Myra F, Schroeder Lauren, Garvin Heather M, Scott Jill E, Dembo Mana, Radovčić Davorka, Musiba Charles M, Ackermann Rebecca R, Schmid Peter, Hawks John, Berger Lee R, de Ruiter Darryl J
Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PaleoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa.
Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PaleoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa; Department of Anthropology, University at Buffalo, SUNY, NY 14261, USA; Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa; Human Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa.
J Hum Evol. 2017 Mar;104:100-123. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.09.009. Epub 2016 Nov 14.
The species Homo naledi was recently named from specimens recovered from the Dinaledi Chamber of the Rising Star cave system in South Africa. This large skeletal sample lacks associated faunal material and currently does not have a known chronological context. In this paper, we present comprehensive descriptions and metric comparisons of the recovered cranial and mandibular material. We describe 41 elements attributed to Dinaledi Hominin (DH1-DH5) individuals and paratype U.W. 101-377, and 32 additional cranial fragments. The H. naledi material was compared to Plio-Pleistocene fossil hominins using qualitative and quantitative analyses including over 100 linear measurements and ratios. We find that the Dinaledi cranial sample represents an anatomically homogeneous population that expands the range of morphological variation attributable to the genus Homo. Despite a relatively small cranial capacity that is within the range of australopiths and a few specimens of early Homo, H. naledi shares cranial characters with species across the genus Homo, including Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis, Homo erectus, and Middle Pleistocene Homo. These include aspects of cranial form, facial morphology, and mandibular anatomy. However, the skull of H. naledi is readily distinguishable from existing species of Homo in both qualitative and quantitative assessments. Since H. naledi is currently undated, we discuss the evolutionary implications of its cranial morphology in a range of chronological frameworks. Finally, we designate a sixth Dinaledi Hominin (DH6) individual based on a juvenile mandible.
智人纳莱迪这一物种最近是根据从南非新星洞穴系统的迪纳莱迪 Chamber 中 recovered 的标本命名的。这个大型骨骼样本缺少相关的动物材料，目前也没有已知的年代背景。在本文中，我们对 recovered 的颅骨和下颌骨材料进行了全面描述和测量比较。我们描述了归属于迪纳莱迪人科（DH1 - DH5）个体和副型 U.W. 101 - 377 的 41 个元素，以及另外 32 块颅骨碎片。使用包括 100 多项线性测量和比率在内的定性和定量分析方法，将纳莱迪人的材料与上新世 - 更新世化石人科动物进行了比较。我们发现迪纳莱迪颅骨样本代表了一个解剖学上同质的群体，扩大了可归因于智人属的形态变异范围。尽管其颅容量相对较小，处于南方古猿和一些早期智人标本的范围内，但纳莱迪人在颅骨特征上与智人属的其他物种有共同之处，包括能人、鲁道夫人、直立人以及中更新世智人。这些共同之处包括颅骨形态、面部形态和下颌解剖结构等方面。然而，在定性和定量评估中，纳莱迪人的头骨都很容易与现有的智人物种区分开来。由于纳莱迪人目前尚未确定年代，我们在一系列年代框架中讨论了其颅骨形态的进化意义。最后，我们根据一个幼年下颌骨指定了第六个迪纳莱迪人科（DH6）个体。
