Variability of Australopithecus second maxillary molars from Sterkfontein Member 4

Fornai, Cinzia; Bookstein, Fred L.; Weber, Gerhard

doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.05.013

Cited by 28 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…We make no conclusions here about whether multiple taxa may in fact be present at Sterkfontein or other Pliocene South African sites (e.g., Clarke, 1988; Curnoe, ; Fornai, Bookstein, & Weber, ). In our view, providing an adequate definition will be necessary to test the hypothesis that multiple taxa may be represented in these samples.…”

mentioning

confidence: 93%

“…prometheus . Despite this uncertainty, other scientists have followed inconsistently using this name to refer to some parts of the Sterkfontein hominin sample together with some specimens from Makapansgat (e.g., Kuman, ; Senut, ; Fornai & Bookstein, ; Griffin, Miller, Schmitt, & D'Août, ; Val, Dirks, Backwell, d'Errico, & Berger, ; Braga et al, ; Dykes, ; Thackeray, ; Wood & Boyle, ; Brassey, O'Mahoney, Chamberlain, & Sellers, ; Domínguez‐Rodrigo & Pickering, ; Dirks et al, ; Kramers & Dirks, ; Stratford & Caruana, ; Su & Carlson, ; Stratford, ). This is a situation that has the potential for substantial confusion as the MLD 1 specimen preserves only a fragment of anatomy that cannot be used to distinguish it from Au.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Australopithecus prometheus is a nomen nudum

Berger

Hawks

2018

American J Phys Anthropol

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mentioning

confidence: 93%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Australopithecus prometheus is a nomen nudum

Berger

Hawks

2018

American J Phys Anthropol

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“…africanus EDJ, the protostylid crest extends mesially around the base of the protoconid dentine horn, whereas in P. robustus the crest seems to be located between the dentine horns of the protoconid and hypoconid (Skinner et al, 2009). Analysis of M 2 shape variation in australopiths, South African early Homo, modern humans, and Neanderthals using 3D geometric morphometric (GM) studies has indicated that enamel crown and cervical outlines are less taxonomically informative than outer and inner crown surfaces (Fornai et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Further morphological evidence on South African earliest Homo lower postcanine dentition: Enamel thickness and enamel dentine junction

Pan

Dumoncel

Beer

et al. 2016

Journal of Human Evolution

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The appearance of the earliest members of the genus Homo in South Africa represents a key event in human evolution. Although enamel thickness and enamel dentine junction (EDJ) morphology preserve important information about hominin systematics and dietary adaptation, these features have not been sufficiently studied with regard to early Homo. We used micro-CT to compare enamel thickness and EDJ morphology among the mandibular postcanine dentitions of South African early hominins (N = 30) and extant Homo sapiens (N = 26), with special reference to early members of the genus Homo. We found that South African early Homo shows a similar enamel thickness distribution pattern to modern humans, although three-dimensional average and relative enamel thicknesses do not distinguish australopiths, early Homo, and modern humans particularly well. Based on enamel thickness distributions, our study suggests that a dietary shift occurred between australopiths and the origin of the Homo lineage. We also observed that South African early Homo postcanine EDJ combined primitive traits seen in australopith molars with derived features observed in modern human premolars. Our results confirm that some dental morphological patterns in later Homo actually occurred early in the Homo lineage, and highlight the taxonomic value of premolar EDJ morphology in hominin species.

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“…These specimens originate from Sterkfontein Member 4 and date to 2.8-2.4 Ma (Pickering et al, 2004). Although many consider material from Member 4 to belong to A. africanus, others suggest multiple species may be present (e.g., Calcagno et al, 1999;Lockwood and Tobias, 1999;Wood and Richmond, 2000;Moggi-Cecchi, 2003;Grine et al, 2013;Fornai et al, 2015). That said, the specimens studied here are routinely described as A. africanus.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 84%

Root grooves on two adjacent anterior teeth ofAustralopithecus africanus

Towle

Irish

Elliott

et al. 2017

Preprint

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Tooth root grooves and other ante-mortem dental tissue loss not associated with caries found on or near the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) are commonly termed noncarious cervical lesions. Three main processes are implicated in forming these lesions: abrasion, dental erosion, and abfraction. As yet, these lesions have not been described in non-Homo hominins. In this study South African fossil hominin collections were examined for evidence of any type of non-carious cervical lesion. Only one individual shows ante-mortem root grooves consistent with non-carious cervical lesions. Two teeth, a mandibular right permanent lateral incisor (STW 270) and canine (STW 213), belonging to the same Australopithecus africanus individual, show clear ante-mortem grooves on the labial root surface. These lesions start below the CEJ, extend over a third of the way toward the apex, and taper to a point towards the lingual side. Microscopic examination revealed no clear directional striations. The shape of these grooves is extremely similar to clinical examples of dental erosion, with the lack of striations supporting this diagnosis. These are the oldest hominin examples of noncarious cervical lesions and first described in a genus other than Homo; further, the lesions suggest that this individual regularly consumed or processed acidic food items.

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Variability of Australopithecus second maxillary molars from Sterkfontein Member 4

Cited by 28 publications

References 67 publications

Australopithecus prometheus is a nomen nudum

Australopithecus prometheus is a nomen nudum

Further morphological evidence on South African earliest Homo lower postcanine dentition: Enamel thickness and enamel dentine junction

Root grooves on two adjacent anterior teeth ofAustralopithecus africanus

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