Talon cusp from two archaic period cemeteries in North America: Implications for comparative evolutionary morphology

Stojanowski, Christopher M.; Johnson, Kent M.; Doran, Glen H.; Ricklis, Robert A.

doi:10.1002/ajpa.21422

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 63 publications

(103 reference statements)

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“…The term talon cusp is sometimes used to indicate DEs positioned on the anterior dentition, but due to the significant variation in size and morphology, talon cusps, and talon cusp‐like structures, have been described by dental anthropologists using a variety of terms (for review see Stojanowski et al, ). Some researchers (Turner et al, ; Turner, ; Scott, ; Harris, ) interpret talon cusps as extreme expressions of tuberculum dentale , a well‐known accessory trait that has been identified not only on the teeth of some modern humans but also on those of some extinct hominin species, including H. erectus and H. neanderthalensis (Bailey, ) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Records of Talon Cusps on Baboon Maxillary Incisors Argue for Standardizing Terminology and Prompt a Hypothesis of Their Formation

Heaton

Pickering

2013

The Anatomical Record

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Dental characters can provide vital clues for understanding intra-and intertaxonomic morphological variation and its underlying genetic and environmental components. However, the unambiguous identification of particular traits and their comparative study is often confounded by lack of consistent terminology in the relevant literature. This difficulty is exacerbated when the etiologies are not completely understood, as is the case with talon cusps. To date, research on talon cusps has focused on modern humans. In many instances, descriptions of talon cusps appear in clinical case studies focusing on their treatment and removal. What is lacking in those discussions, though, is a comparative framework, in which the occurrence of talon cusps in nonhuman primates, and possibly other mammals, is established and understood. Here, we report on a taloned upper central incisor of a wild baboon (Papio hamadryas ursinus) from South Africa. The anomalous incisor of this individual includes an exaggerated accessory cusp diagnosed as a Type II talon. Microcomputed tomographic and radiographic analyses show that the taloned cusp possesses enamel, dentin, and pulp. In addition, we identified an unclassifiable talon cusp on a central maxillary incisor of a baboon skull housed in the Smithsonian Institution's Natural History Museum collection. Our observations of talon cusps on baboon incisors demonstrate that, with regard to this phenomenon, systematic study of nonhuman primates is much needed, along with a consistent use of terminology in the anatomical and anthropological literature. Finally, we present a hypothesis of the formation of talon cusps on mammalian incisors. Anat

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Records of Talon Cusps on Baboon Maxillary Incisors Argue for Standardizing Terminology and Prompt a Hypothesis of Their Formation

Heaton

Pickering

2013

The Anatomical Record

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“…The Early-Middle Archaic Buckeye Knoll site dates to circa 7,500-6,200 cal BP and contains the remains of 70 individuals (Ricklis, 2007;Stojanowski et al, 2011). These data were collected by CMS and the skeletal material has been repatriated.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

New evidence on the spatiotemporal distribution and evolution of the Uto‐Aztecan premolar

Johnson

Stojanowski

Miyar

et al. 2011

American J Phys Anthropol

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Uto-Aztecan premolar (UAP) is a rare morphological feature of the maxillary first premolar that occurs in Native American populations with frequencies ranging 0-16.7%. A recent summary of UAP by Delgado-Burbano et al. (2010) suggests the trait evolved around 4,000 BP in the American Southwest where the earliest cases occur and where the trait exists at the highest frequencies among contemporary populations. In this article, we present new data on UAP prevalence from an Archaic North American sample from Buckeye Knoll, Texas (circa 7,500-6,200 cal BP). Buckeye Knoll preserves a single case of UAP, and a sample frequency of 3.6%. In addition, we confirm the presence of UAP in other eastern North American Archaic skeletal samples from the Windover and Harris Creek at Tick Island sites in Florida. We also review the dental morphological literature to assess: 1) whether UAP prevalence is limited to New World populations, and 2) whether the trait's antiquity can be extended further into the Early Holocene Paleoindian period. Additional cases of UAP are presented from the Pacific coast of South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Combined, these data greatly expand the spatial and temporal distribution of UAP and suggest the trait evolved considerably earlier than previously thought.

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“…Rare traits may help uncover evidence of early migrations persisting in later populations. One strategy for reading the signal for in‐migration or serial founder effects is to look for the existence and temporal and geographical distribution of these rare traits (Stojanowski et al ., ), as they are more likely to persist in small populations. Rare variants have not been widely investigated to see whether they might be informative about earlier events, probably because their sporadic nature has made this generally impossible.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frequencies of Rare Incisor Variations Reflect Factors Influencing Precontact Population Relationships in Mexico and the American Southwest

Edgar

Willermet

Ragsdale

et al. 2015

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Mexican prehistory is characterized by migration and population isolation in its earliest phase, followed by later inter‐population cultural interactions, such as politics and trade. While shared, common morphological variants are often informative about recent population events, rare trait variants have not been widely investigated to see whether they might be informative about earlier events. Here, we consider populations that show several rare variants at frequencies high enough to warrant such an investigation. Examining past population structure can help us understand population interactions across different periods of time, levels of migration, and population isolation/drift. Multiple‐origin populations may have more variation, including more and higher rates of rare traits. We examined maxillary lateral incisors in 1117 dentitions from 76 samples of Preclassic/Classic and Postclassic pre‐European contact Mexico and the American Southwest for the prevalence of rare lateral incisor variants. Variants observed included barrel, congenital absence, interruption groove, mesial marginal bending, peg, reduced, supernumerary, and talon teeth. The most common variant overall is interruption groove. Central Mexico, Huasteca, and the Lowland Yucatan region samples present the highest overall number of incisor variants. Higher frequencies of single unusual traits are commonly found in samples from smaller populations, while samples from larger population centres show a greater range of these rare variants. We investigated to see whether the pattern of rare incisor variant frequencies reflected early or later population history by comparing similarity/distance matrices and factor model matrices using Mantel tests and Generalized Procrustes analysis. Results show a weak relationship with the Postclassic period and shared migration/language and trade interaction models. We suggest that later cultural interactions have acted to mask earlier population history. Research on serial founder effects should be approached multiregionally and across time, to avoid missing inter‐region biological relationships. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Talon cusp from two archaic period cemeteries in North America: Implications for comparative evolutionary morphology

Cited by 7 publications

References 63 publications

First Records of Talon Cusps on Baboon Maxillary Incisors Argue for Standardizing Terminology and Prompt a Hypothesis of Their Formation

First Records of Talon Cusps on Baboon Maxillary Incisors Argue for Standardizing Terminology and Prompt a Hypothesis of Their Formation

New evidence on the spatiotemporal distribution and evolution of the Uto‐Aztecan premolar

Frequencies of Rare Incisor Variations Reflect Factors Influencing Precontact Population Relationships in Mexico and the American Southwest

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