Teaford M F, Maas M C, Simons E L
Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 1996 Dec;101(4):527-43. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1096-8644(199612)101:4<527::AID-AJPA7>3.0.CO;2-S.
Textbook descriptions usually portray the Fayum anthropoideans as frugivores, with Parapithecus grangeri including a folivorous component in its diet and Apidium a component of hard-object feeding. Recent work with modern mammals has shown that analyses of both dental microwear and dental microstructure may yield insights into diet and tooth use. The purpose of this study was to combine these two techniques to gain a better perspective on the paleobiology of the Fayum higher primates. Dental microwear analyses involved the use of high resolution epoxy casts of Aegyptopithecus, Parapithecus, and Apidium housed in the Duke University Primate Center. Scanning electron micrographs were taken at x500, and all microwear features in each micrograph were digitized. For microstructure analyses, molar teeth were sectioned in a variety of planes, lightly etched, and photographed in the SEM. Results of the dental microwear analyses indicate that the three Fayum anthropoideans all clustered with modern primate frugivores but that there were also significant differences between Aegyptopithecus and the other two Fayum genera. By contrast, dental microstructure analyses showed important differences between Apidium and the other two genera. The reason for these differences probably lies in a combination of body size and dietary differences, with Aegyptopithecus occasionally feeding on hard objects and Apidium maximizing wear resistance through a unique emphasis of radial (rather than decussating) enamel.
教科书描述通常将法尤姆类人猿描绘为食果动物，格兰杰副猿的饮食中包含食叶成分，而阿皮迪乌斯则有食用硬物的成分。最近对现代哺乳动物的研究表明，对牙齿微磨损和牙齿微观结构的分析都可能有助于了解饮食和牙齿使用情况。本研究的目的是结合这两种技术，以更好地了解法尤姆高等灵长类动物的古生物学。牙齿微磨损分析涉及使用杜克大学灵长类动物中心保存的埃及猿、副猿和阿皮迪乌斯的高分辨率环氧树脂铸型。在500倍放大倍数下拍摄扫描电子显微镜照片，并对每张照片中的所有微磨损特征进行数字化处理。对于微观结构分析，将臼齿在多个平面上切片，轻度蚀刻，并在扫描电子显微镜下拍照。牙齿微磨损分析结果表明，这三种法尤姆类人猿都与现代灵长类食果动物聚集在一起，但埃及猿与其他两个法尤姆属之间也存在显著差异。相比之下，牙齿微观结构分析显示阿皮迪乌斯与其他两个属之间存在重要差异。这些差异的原因可能在于体型和饮食差异的综合作用，埃及猿偶尔食用硬物，而阿皮迪乌斯通过独特地强调放射状（而非交叉状）釉质来最大化耐磨性。
