A reassessment of the taxonomic status and phyletic relationships of Papio baringensis and Papio quadratirostris (Primates: Cercopithecidae)

Comparison of the skulls of Papio baringensis Leakey 1969 from the Chemeron Formation and P. quadratirostris Iwamoto 1982 from the Usno Formation with those of Theropithecus gelada, T. brumpti, T. darti, T. oswaldi, and several species of Papio indicate that the species from Chemeron and Usno exhibit all, or most, respectively, of the shared derived characters of Theropithecus. We propose that they be removed from Papio and placed in Theropithecus as T. baringensis and T. quadratirostris. Comparison of the specimens of T. baringensis and T. quadratirostris with those of T. brumpti indicate that the former two species have some of the derived characters of T. brumpti but are primitive in others. We propose that the three species form the following phyletic lineage: T. baringensis-T. quadratirostris-T. brumpti. With these referrals, there are now six species of the genus Theropithecus. Based on geologic grounds, the specimens from Chemeron are about 4.0 million years (m.y.), that from Usno between 3.3 and 3.4 m.y., and those of T. brumpti between 2.0 and 2.8 m.y. in age. We also show that the most complete specimen of Papio sp. nov. from Olduval Gorge belongs to T. oswaldi. With the removal of these specimens from Papio, the East African fossil record of this genus, apart from isolated teeth, comprises only 21 specimens, while that of Theropithecus comprises at least 300 specimens.     

Fossil papio cranium from !Ncumtsa (Koanaka) Hills, western Ngamiland, Botswana

Three fossils, a cranium of Papio, a cercopithecid frontal bone, and a mandible of juvenile Papio, have been recovered from cave deposits in the !Ncumtsa (Koanaka) Hills of western Ngamiland, Botswana. These specimens are significant because well‐preserved crania of Papio are extremely rare in the fossil record outside of South Africa and because this is the first report of fossil primate cranial remains from Botswana. Thermoluminescence dating of surrounding cave matrix indicates an age of ≥317 ± 114 ka, within the Middle Pleistocene, although it may be older. Based on univariate and multivariate analyses, the adult !Ncumtsa specimen falls within the range of variation seen in extant forms of Papio, yet is distinct from any living species/subspecies and represents a new taxon, named here as a new subspecies of Papio hamadryas—Papio hamadryas botswanae. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

An application of isoelectric focusing to non-human primates hair Keratin

This study is an investigation on the Keratin of hair coming from 51 non-human Primates belonging to 11 families and 37 different species, using isoelectric focusing on thin layer of polyacrylmide gel (0.5 mm) in pH range 2.5–7.0 followed by silver staining. Our results highlight that animals belonging to the same species have identical isoelectrophoretic patterns. It was proved forLemur fulvus, Macaca fascicularis, Cercopithecus aethiops, Gorilla gorilla. Instead, regarding different species belonging to the same genus, we can say that the pattern obtained was not always characteristic of the species to which the protein belonged. In fact, whereas some species of theCercopithecus, Macaca andPapio genus show significantly different patterns, other species ofCercopithecus, Macaca, Papio, Cebus andSaimiri show identifical patterns. On the other hand, patterns belonging to different genus nearly always showed more marked differences. As for man, by means of this technique, it is possible to show a high number of polypeptides in the 3–4 pH range for non-human Primates as well. Thus, species belonging to different families and genus can always be distinguished; on the other hand, it is not always possible for species of the same genus (e.g.Cebus, Papio).     

Genetic differentiation among three genera of family cercopithecidae

The degree of genetic differentiation among three genera of cercopithecines,Macaca, Papio andCercopithecus, was quantified by the electrophoretic analyses of blood protein variations controlled by 29 genetic loci. The estimates ofNei's standard genetic distance between the pair of species belonging to different genera were in a range of 0.48–0.90. It was found that the degree of genetic differentiation between different genera of cercopithecines was comparable to those between congeneric species of other animal groups. This work failed, however, to determine definitely the branching order of the lineages of the three genera.     

The first fossil Paussine (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from Mexican amber

Eohomopterus simojovelensis n. sp., the first fossil record of the subfamily Paussinae (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from the Miocene amber of the Simojovel area, Chiapas, Mexico, is described. The morphology of the new species is compared withEohomopterus poinari Nagel, 1997 from Dominican amber as well as with extant representatives ofEohomopterus, and the biogeographical implications are discussed.      

Reappraisal of the taxonomic status of the cranium Stw 53 from the Plio/Pleistocene of Sterkfontein,in South Africa

A fossil skull, Stw 53, from the Plio/Pleistocene of Sterkfontein, in South Africa, has been referred toHomo habilis Leakey, Napier, andTobias, 1964. Reappraisal of its putative hominine affinity reveals a closer resemblance toAustralopithecus africanus Dart, 1925. The skull, as reconstructed, is too small forH. habilis; with no indication of brain expansion overA. africanus; has a facial angle outside the hominine range, but identical with that ofA. africanus; and whose teeth are not elongated but display buccolingual expansion. Although it was found in the same strata (Member 5) as stone tools, there is no causal connection. It has been dated faunistically at 2–1.5 my BP, but due to an unconformity it is suggested that it could be older. In spite of its late date, Stw 53 shows no intermediate characters which could support a trend towardsH. habilis orA. robustus Broom, 1938. It may, therefore, represent a relict population ofA. africanus.     

Skull of Catopithecus browni,an early tertiary catarrhine

Fossil crania from quarry L-41, Fayum, Egypt, representing Catopithecus browni, a primate similar in size to callitrichids but with a catarrhine dental formula, provide the geologically earliest record of an anthropoidean skull. Catopithecus had postorbital closure developed to the stage seen in extant anthropoideans, with direct contact between zygomatic plate and maxillary tuber, isolating an anterior orbital fissure from the inferior orbital fissure. The auditory region also resembles that of later anthropoideans: The posterior carotid foramen is placed adjacent to the jugular fossa; a large promontory canal crosses the promontorium; and the annular ectotympanic is fused ventrally to the bulla. The incisors and canines show an assemblage of features found only among modern anthropoideans and adapoids. The face is characterized by a relatively deep maxilla, broad ascending wing of the premaxilla, and long nasal bones, yielding a moderate muzzle similar to that of Aegyptopithecus. The small braincase bears an anteriorly broad frontal trigon and a posteriorly developed sagittal crest. The mandibular symphysis is unfused even in mature adults. The encephalization quotient (EQ) probably falls within the range of Eocene prosimians, much lower than the EQs of Neogene anthropoideans. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Tlirolian and Ruscinian porcupines (genus<Emphasis Type="Italic">Hystrix</Emphasis>, Rodentia) from Europe,Asia and North Africa

Specimens of the larger Neogene porcupines, generally allocated toHystrix primigenia (Wagner, 1848), from 17 localities are studied, and their taxonomic status is recon-sidered. Material from one of these localities has recently been described asHystrix depereti Sen, 2001. The diagnoses of both species are revised. Tooth size and crown height are considered diagnostic characters at the species level. As a resuit, specimens from eight localities are allocated toH. primigenia, from eight other localities toH. depereti, and from one locality toHystrix sp. indet. The level of specialisation of the cranial morphology of these fossil species is compared withH. refossa Gervais, 1852 and with extant species. Diagnostic characters ofH. aryanensis SEN, 2001 and ofH. zhengi van Weers & Zhang, 1999, are discussed.     

Late Oligocene mousebird converges on parrots in skull morphology

A new fossil stem group representative of Coliiformes (mousebirds) with a remarkable skull morphology is described from the late Oligocene of Germany. Oligocolius psittacocephalon sp. nov. for the first time preserves the skull of a post‐Eocene fossil mousebird. This exhibits a combination of skull features unknown from any other bird and converges on the skull of parrots in that the beak is separated from the cranium by a marked nasofrontal hinge and in that the interorbital part of the frontal bones is very wide. In addition, the mandible of the new species exhibits long retroarticular processes, which are unexpected because unlike in other coliiform birds exhibiting this feature, the short beak was probably not used for probing in substrate. It is hypothesized that the retroarticular processes of O. psittacocephalon instead served for a particular wide and forceful opening of the beak. Eight large fruit stones are situated in the area of the digestive tract of the new species. Preservation of most of these in a well‐delimited cluster in the region of the upper oesophagus suggests that, unlike in modern mousebirds, O. psittacocephalon had a crop. The new fossil shows that late Oligocene European stem group Coliiformes significantly differed from their extant relatives in morphology and probably also in feeding ecology.     

New crested specimens of the Late Cretaceous pterosaurNyctosaurus

Two recently collected specimens of the Late Cretaceous pterosaurNyctosaurus differ from all previously known specimens in the possession of a large branching cranial crest. The crest extends upward and backward from the posterior skull roof and is nearly three times the length of the skull proper. Despite the large crest, the specimens do not differ significantly in morphology from previously known specimens ofNyctosaurus, and do not seem to represent a new species ofNyctosaurus. The specimens suggest that the cranial crest was developed late in ontogeny, which is consistent with the interpretation of pterosaur cranial crests as intraspecific display structures.      

The juvenile mandible of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lufengpithecus</Emphasis>

The juvenile mandible ofLufengpithecus lufengensis (PA869) discovered in 1980 at back to latest Miocene lignite rich deposit in Shihuiba Village, Lufeng County, Yunnan Province in southwest of China is described in this study. The specimen was compared with the juvenile mandibles ofSivapithecus, Australopithecus, earlyHomo and extant great apes. Some characteristics of the juvenile mandible ofLufengpithecus indicate that the proportional relation between the length, the height and the thickness of the mandibular corpus are very similar to those of the adult mandible of same species. This Lufeng juvenile mandible is of a 3–3.5 years old female individual.     

The world’s largest gharialsGryposuchus: description ofG. croizati n. sp. (Crocodylia, Gavialidae) from the Upper Miocene Urumaco Formation, Venezuela

A new fossil gharialGryposuchus species is described from the Upper Miocene Urumaco Formation, Venezuela.Gryposuchus croizati new species can be distinguished from other gavialoids, includingGryposuchus colombianus andGryposuchus neogaeus by the following combination of diagnostic characters: 1) slenderness of the parietal interfenestral bar; 2) dental formula, mainly the lesser number of maxillary teeth, with four premaxillary, 19 maxillary and 22 mandibular teeth; 3) large width of palatines between the reduced palatine fenestrae; 4) medial hemicondyle of the quadrate smaller but detached and much more posteriorly elongated than the lateral one and projected ventromedially; 5) pterygoid morphology, with two posterior vacuities. The polymorphism in the contour of the external naris inGryposuchus was evaluated for taxonomic significance. The body size ofG. croizati n. sp. was estimated in 10.15 m (9.67–10.67 m) using the dorsal skull length and the estimation of the body mass was 1,745 kg (1,280–2,379 kg) based on the braincase length. These maximal values placeG. croizati n. sp. among the world’s largest gharials and even Crocodyliforms as a whole.      

Grouping of the wild spider monkey

Ateles generally lives in small temporary subgroups. The authors studied the grouping of the monkey for two months and obtained data concerning the subgroup size, composition, and inter-individual relationships. In general, the data agreed with that obtained byKlein (1972). However, they discovered that large subgroups of the monkey were observed only in relation to the utilization of a special place, the “salado” site. The authors discuss the reason for this. Criticism is given ofKlein's suggestions that the unique grouping ofAteles is a form of social adaptation to its palm-fruit eating behavior and that peripheral males exist in its social structure.     

The sixth skull cap of Pithecanthropus erectus

The sixth skull cap of Pithecanthropus erectus (or skull V, since the Modjokerto skull has not been given a number) was found in the upper layers of the Trinil beds of Sangiran (Central Java) in 1963, associated with fossils of the Sino-Malayan fauna. No stone tools were discovered in direct association with the find. The specimen consists of the occipital, both parietals, both temporals, sphenoid fragments, the frontal and the left zygomatic bone. We consider the skull to be a male in his early twenties. The occipital, parietal, frontal and temporal bones demonstrate definite pithecanthropine characteristics, and the cranial capacity is estimated to be 975 cm³. Of the superstructures, the supraorbital torus is extraodinarily thick, approaching the condition in Australopithecus boisei and Rhodesian man. And the sagittal torus is certainly higher than in skulls I and II, but lower than in skull IV. In addition, the angle between the occipital and nuchal planes is larger than in the previous finds. As revealed by various features, the gap between the robustness of skull IV on one hand, and skulls I, II and III on the other, is bridged by the present find. There is no reasonable taxonomic need to ascribe this specimen to a new species, because it seems to be merely an intrapopulational variant of the same species. Other skulls of P. erectus suggest that the bregmatic eminence, and hence the vertex, is invariably situated at bregma, but this new skull cap deviates from the pattern. Its pteric regions disclose the anthropoid X and I types. The middle meningeal groove pattern is similar to other Pithecanthropus skulls; however, it betrays a known anomaly in that the main stem is covered for a short distance by a bony plate. The mastoid process is fairly well developed, and is also well pneumatized as in P. pekinensis, with its air cells invading the pronounced supramastoid crest. The zygomatic bone, the first one recovered of P. erectus, does not show characters of particular importance. In fact, its thickness is in the range of modern man. We would like to stress that the absence of the cranial base does not necessarily indicate that the specimen must be a poor victim of cannibalism, since the morphology of the base renders it more susceptible to post-mortem natural traumata.     

Cretaceous and living colloniidae of the redefined subfamily Petropomatinae,with two new genera and one new species,with notes on opercular evolution in turbinoideans,and the fossil record of Liotiidae (Vetigastropoda: Turbinoidea)

Opercular characters are of major importance to understanding the living and fossil groups in the vetigastropod superfamily TurbinoideaRafinesque. Here we evaluate current knowledge of fossil turbinoid opercula in the light of a newly discovered Recent colloniid with an unfamiliar opercular morphology. The operculum ofLiotipoma n. gen. has a multispiral and conical inner surface; the outer surface is rugose with a central pit. Similar opercula are known from the Late CretaceousSohlipoma n. gen. and the Early CretaceousPetropoma Gabb. These genera are assigned to the here redefined colloniid subfamily PetropomatinaeCox inKnight et al., which was based originally onGabb’s misinterpretation of the inner and outer sides of the operculum ofPetropoma peruana Gabb. In contrast, opercula of most living members of Colloniinae s.S., have a flat inner side with a multispiral pattern that becomes paucispiral. In addition, opercula typical for living Turbinidae are here traced to the Late Cretaceous. The new genusLiotipoma has lamellar sculpture like that of Liotiidae H. & A.Adams, showing that such sculpture is not restricted to the Liotiidae. We also reject previous allocations of the Permian DichostasiinaeYochelson and Jurassic Cross-ostomatinaeCox inKnight et al. to Liotiidae, and find an undisputed earliest known Jurassic occurrence for the Liotiidae. The recent suggestion that the change from corneous to calcareous opercula among turbinids occurred concurrently with a change in pattern from multispiral to paucispiral is not supported by our data.     

Modern freshwater microbial carbonates: thePhormidium stromatolites (tufa-travertine) of southeastern Burgundy (Paris Basin,France)

Summary The relationships of microstructure and vegetal remains, obtained by decalcification, were studied in Modern tufa from Burgundy, in order to try to link a given species with a particular crystal habitus. The edifices have various shapes (coatings on floors; encrusted pebbles, shells, vegetal shoots, mosses; oncolites; hydrodynamically shaped tufts). The biological content is rich in algae and animals, mainly at the proximity of springs, even ifPhormidium incrustatum is the predominant species. It is associated with several species ofGongrosira, Schizothrix, andOocardium stratum, the latter only known by its specific crystallizations. Among the animals, we point the galleries ofPsychomiidae (Trichoptera= Phrygan) larvae. The algae and animals are associated within a “biological felt” (in the sense ofForel, 1901). Some species are encrusted by calcite crystals of typical habitus (micrite:Phormidium incrustatum, Gongrosira andSchizothrix, ssp; sparite:Oocardium andBatrachospermum), and there are very little diagenetic modifications. The fabric results in an alternation of seasonal light laminations composed of juxtaposed bundles ofPhormidium incrustatum α, and dark laminations due to parallel filaments ofPhormidium incrustatum β. The influence of other algal species on shape and the internal fabric of the laminations is negligible.Phormidium incrustatum tufa are common in Western Europe, and probably have some fossil analogue in the Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary; the strongly differ from most older stromatolitic microstructures. Half of the studied tufa can suffer summer exposure and winter frost but related particular features do not seem to be preserved in the stromatolitic edifices.     

Synonymy and actual affinities of the putative Middle Eocene “New World vulture” Eocathartes Lambrecht , 1935 and “hornbill” Geiseloceros Lambrecht , 1935 (Aves, Ameghinornithidae)

The taxonomy and phylogenetic affinities of the putative “New World vulture”Eocathartes robustus,Lambrecht, 1935 and the “hornbill”Geiseloceros robustus Lambrecht, 1935 from the Middle Eocene of the Geisel Valley in Germany are revised. It is shown that the holotype specimens belong to a single individual, whose osteology closely resembles that ofStrigogyps sapea (Peters, 1987) from the Middle Eocene of Messel (Germany). The species is classified intoStrigogyps robustus (Lambrecht, 1935), n. comb., and provides further evidence for the great similarity between the Eocene avifaunas of the Geisel Valley and Messel.Strigogyps is a representative of the Ameghinornithidae whose phylogenetic affinities are uncertain; there is no fossil record of either Cathartidae (New World vultures) or Bucerotidae (hornbills) from the Geisel Valley.     

Sclerorhachis leptoclada (Asteraceae-Anthemideae), eine neue Art aus dem südlichen Khorasan

A fourth species ofSclerorhachis, S. leptoclada Rech. f., has been discovered in S. Khorasan. It differs from the three known species by its tender habit, rosette leaves with few short segments, extremely reduced stem leaves, and very small heads.Sclerorhachis with its four vicarious species confined to the most arid parts of the Iranian highlands is believed to belong to the paleoxeromorphics (Rechinger 1952).

Florae Iranicae praecursores 22.     

Génétique des populations,spéciation et taxonomie chez les Babouins: II — Similitudes génétique comparées entre différentes espèces : Papio papio,P. anubis,P. cynocephalus et P. hamadryas basées sur les données du polymorphisme des enzymes erythrocytaires

The taxonomical status of the five Papio species is controversial. Certain authors consider them as geographical races of a single polytypic species. Natural populations of four species, Papio papio, P. anubis, P. cynocephalus and P. hamadryas, have been investigated for electrophoretical polymorphism of 10 intra-erythrocyte enzymes. It was found that 4 genes out of 14 studied loci exhibit genetic variability in the four Papio species, and that the same isozymes are concerned. The enzymatic variants have low allelic frequencies, and the levels of heterozygoty are consequently low. Although various formulae are utilised by various authors to measure the genetic distances between groups, the values obtained for the four studied species show the same order of magnitude as those obtained among species of the genus Macaca. Among the four Papio forms, Papio papio is very similar to P. anubis, and P. hamadryas appears as the most different from the others. The divergence is similar to that of subspecies of a polytypic species: in fact, no allele appears differentially fixed in any of these groups. The comparison with mean genetic distances evaluated among various mammalian species confirms that view. However, the genetic distances were obtained from mutant alleles showing low genic frequencies and our conclusion is inferred from a group of enzymes chosen empirically.     

Craniodental remains ofPapio angusticeps from the haasgat cave site,South Africa

Haasgat is a fossil-bearing cave site that has yielded 83 craniodental fossils of early Papio.All of the Haasgat cave baboon fossil collection may be identified as Papio angusticeps.The Haasgat fossils of P. angusticepsextend the previously known size range of the species as identified at other sites. The concordance of this and other fauna with that of Kromdraai suggest that Haasgat probably dates to the terminal Pliocene. We hypothesize that the Haasgat baboons and associated fauna were accumulated by versatile predators operating in a cave in a montane forest environment with savannah or open woodland nearby.