TY - JOUR
T1 - The DNH 7 skull of Australopithecus robustus from Drimolen (Main Quarry), South Africa
AU - Rak, Yoel
AU - Kimbel, William H.
AU - Moggi-Cecchi, Jacopo
AU - Lockwood, Charles A.
AU - Menter, Colin
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors dedicate this paper to the memories of Andre W. Keyser (1938–2010), who discovered the Drimolen site on July 9th, 1992, and recovered the DNH 7 skull on October 21st, 1994; and Charlie Lockwood (1970–2008), whose premature death did not allow him to complete his substantial and insightful analytical work on DNH 7 (which we recognize here with posthumous coauthorship). The authors acknowledge Ron Clarke for his careful cleaning, preparation, and initial reconstruction of the skull upon its discovery, and for permission to reproduce his photograph of DNH 7 in Figure 2 . They thank Editor David Alba, an Associate Editor, and R.J. Clarke and two anonymous referees for meticulous and constructive reviews of the manuscript. Funding for Y.R.’s and W.H.K.’s 2011 study in South Africa was provided by the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University .
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2021/2
Y1 - 2021/2
N2 - Although the early hominin species Australopithecus robustus has been known for more than eight decades and is represented by hundreds of fossils from sites in South Africa, a complete, well-preserved skull has been elusive. DNH 7, an adult cranium and mandible from the Drimolen site, was identified, on the basis of its small size, as a presumptive female of A. robustus. Here, we provide a detailed comparative description of the specimen. In cranial, facial, and dental size, DNH 7 is confirmed to lie at the extreme small end of the A. robustus range of variation, along with a few fragmentary maxillofacial specimens from Swartkrans. In addition, relative to the classically derived craniofacial features of the Swartkrans+Kromdraai portions of the A. robustus hypodigm, primitive anatomy pervades the DNH 7 face, braincase, and cranial base. Taken together, these pieces of evidence place DNH 7 in a previously unfilled position on the robust Australopithecus morphocline, where the specimen highlights the morphological distinctions between southern and eastern African species of this group and epitomizes the anatomy expected of the group's last common ancestor.
AB - Although the early hominin species Australopithecus robustus has been known for more than eight decades and is represented by hundreds of fossils from sites in South Africa, a complete, well-preserved skull has been elusive. DNH 7, an adult cranium and mandible from the Drimolen site, was identified, on the basis of its small size, as a presumptive female of A. robustus. Here, we provide a detailed comparative description of the specimen. In cranial, facial, and dental size, DNH 7 is confirmed to lie at the extreme small end of the A. robustus range of variation, along with a few fragmentary maxillofacial specimens from Swartkrans. In addition, relative to the classically derived craniofacial features of the Swartkrans+Kromdraai portions of the A. robustus hypodigm, primitive anatomy pervades the DNH 7 face, braincase, and cranial base. Taken together, these pieces of evidence place DNH 7 in a previously unfilled position on the robust Australopithecus morphocline, where the specimen highlights the morphological distinctions between southern and eastern African species of this group and epitomizes the anatomy expected of the group's last common ancestor.
KW - Australopithecus
KW - Hominin
KW - Morphocline
KW - Paranthropus
KW - Sexual dimorphism
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102913
DO - 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102913
M3 - Article
C2 - 33388495
AN - SCOPUS:85098595877
SN - 0047-2484
VL - 151
JO - Journal of human evolution
JF - Journal of human evolution
M1 - 102913
ER -