New hominid fossils from Woranso-Mille (Central Afar, Ethiopia) and taxonomy of early Australopithecus

American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Yohannes Haile-SelassieB Latimer

Abstract

The phylogenetic relationship between Australopithecus anamensis and Australopithecus afarensis has been hypothesized as ancestor-descendant. However, the weakest part of this hypothesis has been the absence of fossil samples between 3.6 and 3.9 million years ago. Here we describe new fossil specimens from the Woranso-Mille site in Ethiopia that are directly relevant to this issue. They derive from sediments chronometrically dated to 3.57-3.8 million years ago. The new fossil specimens are largely isolated teeth, partial mandibles, and maxillae, and some postcranial fragments. However, they shed some light on the relationships between Au. anamensis and Au. afarensis. The dental morphology shows closer affinity with Au. anamensis from Allia Bay/Kanapoi (Kenya) and Asa Issie (Ethiopia) than with Au. afarensis from Hadar (Ethiopia). However, they are intermediate in dental and mandibular morphology between Au. anamensis and the older Au. afarensis material from Laetoli. The new fossils lend strong support to the hypothesized ancestor-descendant relationship between these two early Australopithecus species. The Woranso-Mille hominids cannot be unequivocally assigned to either taxon due to their dental morphological intermediacy. Th...Continue Reading

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Citations

Sep 4, 2013·Journal of Human Evolution·C V WardJ M Plavcan
Jun 23, 2010·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Yohannes Haile-SelassieC Owen Lovejoy
Sep 22, 2010·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Carol V WardFredrick K Manthi
Sep 22, 2010·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Yohannes Haile-Selassie
Mar 22, 2015·Journal of Human Evolution·Scott W SimpsonMichael J Rogers
Jun 28, 2016·Journal of Human Evolution·Sabrina C Curran, Yohannes Haile-Selassie

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