Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
Laboratory of Archaeoanthropology, SABAP-FI, Scandicci (FI), Italy.
PLoS One. 2020 Dec 2;15(12):e0241713. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241713. eCollection 2020.
The Neanderthal specimen from Lamalunga Cave, near Altamura (Apulia, Italy), was discovered during a speleological survey in 1993. The specimen is one of the most complete fossil hominins in Europe and its state of preservation is exceptional, although it is stuck in calcareous concretions and the bones are mostly covered by calcite depositions. Nevertheless, it is possible to carry out some observations on craniodental features that have not previously been described. In this work, we present an account of the oral cavity, made possible by the use of a videoscope, which allowed us to reach some hidden parts of the mandible and palate. This is the first detailed overview of the teeth and maxillary bones of the Neanderthal skeleton from Altamura. The dentition is almost complete. However, two teeth (upper right P3 and upper left M1) were lost ante mortem and four teeth (lower right I1 and P3 and lower left I1 and I2) were lost most probably post mortem. Dental wear is marked. The erupted M3s and the inversion of the compensating curve of Wilson in the M1s and M2s but not in the M3s suggest that the individual is fully adult, but not old. Although most of the teeth have their roots exposed for several millimeters, the periodontal bone appears to be in good condition overall, except in correspondence of the two ante-mortem tooth losses. X-rays of the anterior teeth show a periapical lesion, probably linked to the advanced dental wear. We also observed a weak expression of taurodontism in the posterior dentition and the presence of a retromolar space, features consistent with an attribution to the Neanderthal hypodigm; this attribution is also supported by aspects of the cranial morphology, the morphometric analysis of the scapula and preliminary mtDNA data. There is also a well-developed palatine torus, to the best of our knowledge a feature not previously described in Neanderthals.
拉马伦加洞穴(意大利普利亚大区阿尔塔穆拉附近)的尼安德特人标本是在 1993 年的洞穴勘测中发现的。该标本是欧洲保存最完整的古人类化石之一,保存状态异常完好,尽管它被困在钙质结核中,大部分骨骼都被方解石沉积物覆盖。尽管如此,我们还是可以对之前未描述过的一些颅面特征进行观察。在这项工作中,我们使用视频镜对内口腔进行了描述,这使我们能够到达下颌骨和 palate 的一些隐藏部分。这是对来自阿尔塔穆拉的尼安德特人骨骼牙齿和上颌骨的首次详细概述。牙齿几乎完整。然而,两颗牙齿(右上 P3 和左上 M1)生前缺失,四颗牙齿(右下 I1 和 P3 以及左下 I1 和 I2)死后最有可能缺失。牙齿磨损明显。已萌出的 M3 和威尔逊补偿曲线在 M1 和 M2 中的反转但不在 M3 中的反转表明个体已完全成年,但不老。尽管大多数牙齿的牙根暴露了几毫米,但牙周骨总体状况良好,除了在两个生前牙齿缺失的地方。前牙的 X 光显示根尖病变,可能与牙齿严重磨损有关。我们还观察到后牙有轻微的尖牙畸形表现,以及磨牙后间隙的存在,这些特征与尼安德特人亚种群的归属一致;颅面形态、肩胛骨的形态计量分析和初步的 mtDNA 数据也支持这种归属。此外,还有一个发达的腭嵴,据我们所知,这是尼安德特人中以前未描述过的特征。