Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain,
Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, South Africa.
J Anthropol Sci. 2020 Dec 31;98. doi: 10.4436/JASS.98014.
The Florisbad fossil cranium was found in South Africa in 1932. Different authors proposed a taxonomic affinity with early Homo sapiens, Neandertals or late Homo heidelbergensis. Here, we review its neurocranial morphology, to supply an updated perspective on its paleoneurological features. The curvature of the frontal squama is definitely within modern human variation, although the anterior cranial fossa is very broad, comparable to that of the Neandertals. In contrast, the parietal lobe and the vascular networks are more similar to the morphology observed in more archaic human species, such as Homo heidelbergensis. The endocranial anatomy of the Florisbad skull displays a mosaic of derived and plesiomorphic features, which makes this fossil compatible with distinct phylogenetic scenarios. None of these traits are, however, strictly diagnostic in terms of taxonomy. This specimen is central to the question on the possible anagenetic evolution from Homo heidelbergensis sensu lato to modern humans.
弗洛里斯巴德化石颅骨于 1932 年在南非被发现。不同的作者提出了与早期智人、尼安德特人或晚期海德堡人有分类亲缘关系的观点。在这里，我们回顾了它的神经颅面形态，为其古神经特征提供了一个更新的视角。额鳞的曲率肯定在现代人的变异范围内，尽管颅前窝非常宽，与尼安德特人的相似。相比之下，顶叶和血管网络更类似于在更古老的人类物种中观察到的形态，如海德堡人。弗洛里斯巴德头骨的内颅解剖显示了衍生和原始特征的镶嵌，这使得这个化石与不同的系统发育情景兼容。然而，这些特征在分类学方面都不是严格的诊断特征。这个标本是关于从广义的海德堡人到现代人可能的进化的关键问题。
