The Pleistocene fauna (other than Primates) from Asbole, lower Awash Valley, Ethiopia, and its environmental and biochronological implications

The Asbole area in the Lower Awash Valley yielded a diverse fauna of large and small mammals, associated with an Acheulean industry. The most notable forms are a potentially new species of herpestid, a large collection of Kolpochoerus majus, and the earliest known Bos in Africa. Biochronologically, this fauna belongs to the earliest Middle Pleistocene, and is roughly contemporaneous with the Bodo site further south. Paleoenvironmentally, the fauna suggests a mosaic of landscapes among which humid environments, grasslands and forests, are predominant.     

Digital data collection in paleoanthropology

Understanding patterns of human evolution across space and time requires synthesizing data collected by independent research teams, and this effort is part of a larger trend to develop cyber infrastructure and e‐science initiatives. 1 At present, paleoanthropology cannot easily answer basic questions about the total number of fossils and artifacts that have been discovered, or exactly how those items were collected. In this paper, we examine the methodological challenges to data integration, with the hope that mitigating the technical obstacles will further promote data sharing. At a minimum, data integration efforts must document what data exist and how the data were collected (discovery), after which we can begin standardizing data collection practices with the aim of achieving combined analyses (synthesis). This paper outlines a digital data collection system for paleoanthropology. We review the relevant data management principles for a general audience and supplement this with technical details drawn from over 15 years of paleontological and archeological field experience in Africa and Europe. The system outlined here emphasizes free open‐source software (FOSS) solutions that work on multiple computer platforms; it builds on recent advances in open‐source geospatial software and mobile computing.     

A new hominin from the Basal Member of the Hadar Formation, Dikika, Ethiopia, and its geological context

In this paper we report for the first time hominin remains from the Basal Member of the Hadar Formation at Dikika, in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia, dating to greater than 3.4 Ma. The new fossil, DIK-2-1, is a fragment of a left mandible and associated dentition. The mandible is attributed to Australopithecus afarensis. However, the new fossil exhibits some metric and morphological features that have not previously been seen in the A. afarensis hypodigm, increasing the already impressive degree of variation in the mandibular sample of the species.     

New Remains of Camelus grattardi (Mammalia,Camelidae) from the Plio-Pleistocene of Ethiopia and the Phylogeny of the Genus

Journal of Mammalian Evolution - The Old World fossil record of the family Camelidae is patchy, but a new partial cranium and some other remains of Camelus grattardi from the Mille-Logya Project...     

Hominid cranium from Omo: Description and taxonomy of Omo-323-1976-896

Omo-323-1976-896, a partial hominid cranium dated to ca. 2.1 from the Member G, Unit G-8 of the Shungura Formation, lower Omo Basin of Ethiopia, is described. It is suggested that the specimen is an adult male based on the well-developed and completely fused sagittal crest; heavily worn teeth; relatively large canine; and size of the articular eminence. Omo-323 consists of fragments of the frontal, both temporals, occipital, parietals, and the right maxilla, and is attributed to Australopithecus boisei, making it the oldest known cranium of this species. The specimen shares features with Australopithecus aethiopicus (KNM-WT 17000), thus supporting the existence of an evolving East African robust lineage between ca. 2.6-1.2 Ma. The morphology of Omo-323 increases our knowledge of the intraspecific variability of A.boisei.     

An integrated approach to taphonomy and faunal change in the Shungura formation (Ethiopia) and its implication for hominid evolution

Environmental and faunal changes through time have been recorded for many African Plio-Pleistocene sites. Fossil evidence suggests that there is a continuous, if not uniform, transformation of the fauna and flora from the Pliocene through the end of Pleistocene. However, discerning major biotic turnovers and linking them to global and regional climatic changes have been complicated by many factors, notably taphonomy and discontinuity of the fossil evidence, notwithstanding the considerable work of some researchers (e.g., Vrba, E.S., 1988. Late Pliocene climatic events and hominid evolution, in: Grine, F. (Ed.), Evolutionary History of the "Robust" Australopithecines. De Gruyter, New York, pp. 405-426, Vrba, E.S., 1995. The fossil record of African (Mammalia, Bovidae) in relation to human evolution and paleoclimate, in: Vrba, E.S., Denton, G.H., Partridge, T.C., Burkle, L.H. (Eds.), Paleoclimate and Evolution, with Emphasis on Human Origins. Yale University Press, New Haven, pp. 385-424). A sample of over 22,000 fossils collected by the French Omo Expedition, from the Shungura Formation of Ethiopia, was analyzed using an integrated approach to investigate taphonomic and faunal change patterns. The following results are obtained: (1) Univariate and multivariate studies support continuous faunal change from Member A through Member G of the Shungura sequence; (2) Correspondence analysis (CA) on extant bovids in African game parks shows that bovid tribes and genera are generally characterized by habitat specificity; (3) Taphonomic studies demonstrate that the relative abundance of different skeletal elements varies according to depositional environment; (4) CA on 73 localities of the Shungura Formation and 19 mammalian taxa points to a major faunal change around the base of Member G dated to ca. 2.3 Ma. This transformation is characterized by a change to open and edaphic grassland as a dominant type of environment; (5) This major faunal change correlates in time with the appearance of A. boisei. It is tentatively suggested that this major biome change is associated with an anagenetic speciation from A. aethiopicus to A. boisei.     

Theropithecus atlanticus (Thomas, 1884) (Primates: Cercopithecidae) from the late Pliocene of Ahl al Oughlam, Casablanca, Morocco

The site of Ahl al Oughlam near Casablanca, Morocco, dated to ca. 2·5 Ma, has yielded a good sample of Theropithecus atlanticus (Thomas, 1884), a North African late Pliocene species previously known only by its holotype, a lower molar from Algeria. Theropithecus atlanticus, which can now be much better defined, is clearly distinct from other species of the genus, which is thus more diverse than previously thought. The mandible of T. atlanticus has a very characteristic deep and long post-molar sulcus and a deep and well excavated supra-lateral triangular depression of the ramus, with a sharp postero-inferior ridge. The upper and lower canines are rather large but low. The male P₃is very wide, with well developed posterior crests; the P₄is rounded, with a large talonid and weak notches and clefts. Median lingual notches of the lower molars form an acute angle. Although our incomplete knowledge of T. atlanticus precludes a detailed phylogenetic analysis, we suggest that it arose by clado-genesis from the T. darti–T. oswaldi lineage; it is replaced by the latter species in the Pleistocene.Le gisement de Ahl al Oughlam près de Casablanca (Maroc), daté d'environ 2,5 Ma, a livré une belle collection deTheropithecus atlanticus (Thomas, 1884), espèce du Pliocène supérieur nord-africain qui n'était jusque là connue que par son holotype, une molaire inférieure d'Algérie. T. atlanticus, qui peut maintenant être bien mieux défini, se distingue bien des autres espèces du genre, dont la diversité est ainsi accrue. La mandibule de T. atlanticus est très caractéristique par son espace rétro-molaire vaste et profond, et sa dépression supra-latérale de la branche montante également très profonde, avec un rebord inférieur aigu. Les canines supérieures et inférieures sont grosses mais basses. La P₃mâle est très large, avec des crêtes postérieures très développées; la P₄est arrondie, avec un grand talonide et des sillons peu profonds. Sur les molaires inférieures, le débouché de la vallée médiane forme un angle aigu. Bien que notre connaissance imparfaite de T. atlanticus interdise une analyse phylétique détaillée, nous suggérons une dérivation par cladogenèse à partir de la lignée T. darti–T. oswaldi; cette dernière espèce le remplace au Pléistocène.     

Middle Pleistocene fossil Cercopithecidae from Asbole, Afar Region, Ethiopia

A sample of 117 fossil cercopithecids has been collected from the Middle Pleistocene site of Asbole, Afar Region, Ethiopia. A minimum of five species is present. There are two species of Cercopithecini, here recognized as cf. Chlorocebus aff. aethiops, and cf. Chlorocebus cf. patas. There are also two species of Papionini: Papio hamadryas ssp. indet. and Theropithecus oswaldi leakeyi. Finally, there is a single species of colobine present, Colobus sp. indet. The assemblage is chronologically constrained and is derived from sediments dated to approximately 600 ka. Within this sample Colobus sp. is by far the most common species present, outnumbering the other four species combined. The cercopithecid assemblage is most consistent with a woodland habitat, corroborating an earlier interpretation based on the non-primate fauna. Taxonomic, biogeographic, and evolutionary implications of the assemblage are also discussed.