Preliminary observations on increasing root length during the eruptive phase of tooth development in modern humans and great apes

Ground sections of incisors, canines, and molars were selected that showed clear incremental markings in root dentine. The sample comprised 98 Homo sapiens, 53 Pan troglodytes, and a more limited combined sample of 51 Gorilla and Pongo sections. Daily rates of root dentine formation, together with the orientation of incremental markings in roots close to the cement-dentine junction (CDJ), were used to calculate root extension rates for the first 10mm of root formed beyond the buccal enamel cervix. Modern human anterior tooth roots showed a more regular pattern of increase in root length than those in great apes. In Pan, root growth rose quickly to higher rates but then flattened off. The fastest extension rates in modern humans were in incisor roots (10-12 microm per day), followed by canines (8-9 microm per day). Extension rates in Pan rose to slightly greater values in canines ( approximately 12-14 microm per day) than in incisors ( approximately 10-11 microm per day). Molar tooth roots in both modern humans and great apes grew in a nonlinear manner. Peak rates in molars reduced from M1 to M3 (8, 7, and 6 microm per day, respectively). Like humans, root growth in Pan peaked earlier in M1s at rates of between 8 and 9 microm per day, and later in M3s at rates of 7 to 8 microm per day. The more limited data set for Gorilla and Pongo molars suggests that extension rates were generally higher than in Pan by approximately 1.0-1.5 microm per day. There were greater differences in peak extension rates, with Gorilla and Pongo extension rates being between 2.5 and 4.5 microm per day higher than those in Pan. These findings highlight for the first time that root growth rates differ between tooth types in both pattern and rate and between taxa. They provide the basis with which to explore further the potential comparative relationships between root growth, jaw growth, and the eruption process.     

The anatomy of Dolichocebus gaimanensis, a stem platyrrhine monkey from Argentina

Dolichocebus is known from the type skull encased in a concretion, numerous isolated teeth, parts of two mandibles, and a talus. The specimens come from the Trelew Member (early Miocene, Colhuehuapian South American Land Mammal Age) of the Sarmiento Formation near the village of Gaiman, Chubut Province, Argentina, dated to about 20Ma. We describe all Dolichocebus fossil material using conventional surface anatomy and micro-CT data from the cranium. The new material and newly imaged internal anatomy of the skull demonstrate that anatomical characters hitherto supposed to support a phyletic link between Dolichocebus and either callitrichines (marmosets, tamarins, and Callimico) or Saimiri (squirrel monkeys) are either indeterminate or absent. To more fully explore the phyletic position of Dolichocebus, we undertook a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis. We examined 268 characters of the cranium and dentition of 16 living platyrrhine genera, some late Oligocene and early Miocene platyrrhines, Tarsius, some Eocene and Oligocene stem anthropoids, and several extant catarrhines. These analyses consistently indicate that Dolichocebus is a stem platyrrhine, as are late Oligocene Branisella and early Miocene Tremacebus, Soriacebus, and Carlocebus. Platyrrhine evolution often is conceived of as a single ancient adaptive radiation. Review of all available phyolgenetic data suggests a more layered evolutionary pattern, with several independent extinct clades filling modern platyrrhine niche space, and modern platyrrhine families and subfamilies appearing over a nine-million-year interval in the Miocene. The outcome of these analyses highlights the pervasiveness of homoplasy in dental and cranial characters. Homoplasy is a real evolutionary phenomenon that is present at all levels of biological analysis, from amino-acid sequences to aspects of adult bony morphology, behavior, and adaptation.     

陕西蓝田晚中新世食肉类

陕西省蓝田地区灞河组与蓝田组产出了大量的古哺乳动物化石。其中,晚中新世哺乳动物化石序列为认识该地区自然环境的变化提供了重要的依据。详细描述和研究了其中的食肉类化石。计有鬣狗科3种(Ictitherium viverrinum、Hyaenictitherium cf.H.wongii、Adcrocuta eximia)和猫科2种(cf.Metailurus major与cf.Metailurus parvulus)。在下部的灞河组与上部的蓝田组界线附近,食肉类动物群落组成发生了改变,但引起这种改变的原因仍有待进一步研究确定。     

甘肃临夏盆地晚中新世大唇犀化石的年龄结构与生活环境

甘肃临夏盆地的晚中新世红粘土堆积中含有大量的三趾马动物群化石,其中犀科化石,特别是大唇犀最为丰富。通过对临夏盆地晚中新世具有代表性的大唇犀化石的年龄结构的分析,初步了解到化石群各年龄段个体的百分比和种群动态。大唇犀化石中成年个体的数量占优势,明显多于老年个体,与正常生活群中的年龄结构吻合,由此可初步断定是突发性事件引起了犀牛种群的灾害性死亡。再进一步对化石的风化、磨蚀、聚集状态及所受的水动力特征等进行分析,发现骨骼受到了弱水流的短距离搬运,说明化石埋藏地离动物死亡地不远。以上分析结果与沉积学特征相结合,说明临夏盆地晚中新世三趾马动物群的集群死亡可能与严重的干旱化事件有关。     

Calcareous and siliceous phytoplankton stratigraphy of Neogene marine sediments in central Crete (Greece)

Fine laminated diatomaceous beds in outcrops of the Finikia unit (Estavromenos and Athanatoi sections) in the northern part of the Heraklion district in Crete, have yielded a total of 55 marine diatom and 24 silicoflagellate taxa. The diatom assemblages, characterized by species of low latitudes, belong to the upper part of the Nitzschia jouseae biozone (early-late Pliocene). The silicoflagellate associations belong to the local Dictyocha fibula ausonia and Dictyocha hellenica subzones. These subzones correspond to the subzones CN11b (Discoaster asymmetricus) and CN12a (D. tamalis) of calcareous nannofossils respectively, as well as to the Globorotalia puncticulata/G. bononiensis biozones of planktic foraminifera. The sparse silicoflagellate association from fine sandy marls of the Panassos section in the central part of the Heraklion district (Aghia Varvara unit, upper Tortonian-Messinian) is assigned to the local biozone Distephanus speculum minutus. The latter corresponds approximately to the biozone C9 (Discoaster quinqueramus) of calcareous nannofossils and to the Globorotalia conomiozea zone of planktic foraminifera. No discoidal diatoms could be found in the samples from Panassos-section. The presence of silicoflagellates but simultaneous absence of diatoms is probably due to greater opal dissolution within the fine sandy marls of the Panassos section.     

Knuckle walking signal in the manual digits of Pan and Gorilla

This article examines the curvature of the manual proximal and middle phalanges of species belonging to Pan, Gorilla, Ateles, Macaca, Pongo, Hylobates, and Cebus to determine whether middle phalangeal curvature, when considered in conjunction with proximal phalangeal curvature, yields a locomotor signal. Prior studies have demonstrated the discriminatory power of proximal phalanges for separating suspensory species (including knuckle walkers) from pronograde quadrupedal species, but less emphasis has been placed on the distinguishing phalangeal characteristics of taxa within the suspensory category. This study demonstrates, first, that middle phalanges discriminate suspensory from nonsuspensory species, although not as cleanly as proximal phalanges. Finer discrimination of locomotor signals, including subtle differences among animals employing different modes of suspension, is possible through a comparison of the curvatures of the proximal phalanges and corresponding middle phalanges. Their relative curvature differs in quadrupeds, brachiators, and knuckle walkers. Knuckle walkers (Pan and Gorilla) have relatively little curvature of the middle phalanges coupled with marked curvature of the proximal phalanges, whereas brachiators (Ateles and Hylobates) display marked curvature of both proximal and middle phalanges, and pronograde quadrupeds (Cebus and Macaca) have relatively straight proximal and moderately curved middle phalanges. Quadrumanous climbers (Pongo) have a unique combination of traits, whereby curvature is high in both proximal and middle phalanges, but less so in the latter than the former. These differences, predictable on the basis of the biomechanical forces to which digits are subjected, may open a new venue for future research on the locomotor repertoire of prebipedal ancestors of hominins.     

铲齿象一新种在甘肃省党河地区下中新统的发现

记述了甘肃省党河地区的铲齿象化石一新种———党河铲齿象 (Platybelodondangheen sis)。其主要特征是 :下颌联合和下门齿构成宽短的铲形 ;下门齿薄 ,由单层稀少的齿柱组成 ;具较大的p3 ,p4前窄后宽 ,前齿带和跟座较小 ,m1构造简单 ,齿冠较低 ,第一齿脊无前斜脊 ,前齿带和后跟座较小。它是欧亚大陆目前所知时代最早 (早中新世 )、构造最原始的一种铲齿象。     

云南禄丰古猿地点的松鼠类化石

记述了云南禄丰晚中新世石灰坝古猿地点发现的松鼠科化石。禄丰石灰坝动物群的松鼠动物共有 7属 7种 :地松鼠Sciurotamiaswangisp .nov .,树松鼠Tamiopssp .、Callosciurussp .、Dremomysprimitivussp .nov .和飞松鼠Miopetauristaasiaticasp .nov .、Hylopetodondianensegen .etsp.nov.、Pteromyinaegen.etsp .indet.。该动物群松鼠类动物的组成以树松鼠和飞松鼠为主 ,反映了较为湿润的热带—亚热带森林环境。在动物地理上 ,其成员几乎局限于东南亚分布 ,具有浓厚的现代东洋界色彩     

An Oplegnathid beak (Osteichthyes: Perciformes) from the Early Miocene of Patagonia. Extirpation of several vertebrates from the southern Atlantic Ocean

The first record of the knifejaw family Oplegnathidae in the Atlantic Ocean and in South America is reported. It comes from the lowermost beds of the Early Miocene Gaiman Formation at the lower Río Chubut valley, central-eastern Patagonia. The family Oplegnathidae does not occur in the Atlantic today, but it was widespread in comparison to other knifejaw fishes, such as scarids and odacids. Several aquatic vertebrates were extirpated from the southern Atlantic Ocean in the Late Neogene. This record establishes a minimal age (Early Miocene) for the extirpation of the family Oplegnathidae in the Atlantic Ocean.     

Amphibians and squamates from the Neogene Siwalik beds of Jammu and Kashmir, India

The Neogene Siwalik deposits of Jammu Province (India) have yielded amphibians and squamates. The collection includes the first amphibians and the first colubroid snakes from the Siwalik Group. Amphibians comprise only anurans: a possible Ranidae and one, or perhaps two, non-ranid frogs Squamates include one lizard,Varanus sp. (Varanidae), whereas snakes are represented by three taxa:Acrochordus dehmi (Acrochordidae), an indeterminate Colubridae, and a snake that is either a Colubridae or an Elapidae.Varanus sp. andA. dehmi have been yielded by the Upper Miocene Ramnagar Member, whereas the anurans and colubroid snakes come from the Upper Pliocene Labli Member. These taxa are indicative of aquatic palaeoenvironment.