@article{2e6ccf2144c448968acdf9ec64d50c9d,
title = "A distinguishing feature of Pongo upper molars and its implications for the taxonomic identification of isolated hominid teeth from the Pleistocene of Asia",
abstract = "Objectives: The taxonomic status of isolated hominoid teeth from the Asian Pleistocene has long been controversial due to difficulties distinguishing between pongine and hominin molars given their high degree of morphometrical variation and overlap. Here, we combine nonmetric and geometric morphometric data to document a dental pattern that appears to be taxonomically diagnostic among Pongo. We focus on the protoconule, a cuspule of well-documented evolutionary history, as well as on shape differences of the mesial fovea of the upper molars. Materials and methods: We examined 469 upper molars of eight hominid genera (Australopithecus, Paranthropus, Homo, Meganthropus, Sivapithecus, Pan, Gorilla, and Pongo), including representatives of Homo erectus and extinct and recent Pongo. Analyses were conducted at the enamel-dentine junction to overcome the limitations introduced by dental wear. Results: We found that a moderate or large protoconule is present in ~80% of Pleistocene and extant Pongo. Conversely, a moderate to pronounced protoconule in hominins, Meganthropus, and African great apes occurs in low frequencies (~0–20%). Canonical variate analyses for the mesial fovea show that Pleistocene and extant Pongo cluster together and are clearly differentiated from all other groups, except for Sivapithecus. Discussion: This study suggests that the protoconule and the shape of the mesial fovea in upper molars are useful features for the taxonomic identification of isolated hominid teeth. By identifying these new features, our results can contribute to the better understanding of hominoid evolutionary history and biogeography during the Asian Pleistocene. However, we emphasize that the reported features should be used in combination with other diagnostic variables for the most accurate taxonomic assessments.",
keywords = "enamel-dentine junction, hominids, mesial fovea, protoconule, taxonomy",
author = "Alejandra Ortiz and Bailey, {Shara E.} and Miguel Delgado and Cl{\'e}ment Zanolli and Fabrice Demeter and Bacon, {Anne Marie} and Nguyen, {Thi M.H.} and Nguyen, {Anh T.} and Yingqi Zhang and Terry Harrison and Hublin, {Jean Jacques} and Skinner, {Matthew M.}",
note = "Funding Information: For access to specimens, we thank the following institutions: Croatian Museum of Natural History, Croatia; Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, South Africa; Francisc Rainer Anthropology Institute, Romania; National Museums of Kenya, Kenya; Mus{\'e}e d'Art et d'Arch{\'e}ologie du P{\'e}rigord, France; Mus{\'e}e d'Arch{\'e}ologie Nationale de Saint‐Germain‐en‐Laye, France; Mus{\'e}e d'Angoul{\^e}me, France; Mus{\'e}e National de Pr{\'e}histoire des Eyzies, France; Mus{\'e}e de l'Homme, France; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Spain; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany; Royal Museum for Central Africa, Belgium; Museum f{\"u}r Vor und Fr{\"u}hgeschichte, Germany; National Museum of Ethiopia, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, France; American Museum of Natural History; Rockefeller Museum, Israel; Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Belgium; Senckenberg Research Institute, Germany; Sackler School of Medicine, Israel; Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History; Center for the Study of Human Origins at New York University; Tel Aviv University, Israel Universit{\"a}t Leipzig, Germany; University of Witwatersrand, South Africa; Direction du Patrimoine Culturel and Mus{\'e}e Arch{\'e}ologique de Rabat, Morocco. We also thank Colin Menter, Bill Kimbel, Jay Kelley, Friedemann Schrenck, and Ottmar Kullmer for access to material. We thank Heiko Temming, David Plotzki, Lukas Westphal, Kornelius Kupczik, Ellis Locke, and Susan Ant{\'o}n for help and comments. For technical help with the microCT scanning of the Sivapithecus specimens, we thank Federico Bernardini and Claudio Tuniz. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (award number: 1341148), the Wenner‐Gren Foundation, the Leakey Foundation, and the NYU GSAS James Arthur Fellowship (grants to A.O.). This research was also supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant no. XDB26000000). Scanning of the Vietnamese Pongo specimens was funded to Anne‐Marie Bacon by the PICS‐CNRS 2011‐2013 (n°5712). Scanning of the fossil hominins was supported by the Max Planck Society. Funding Information: For access to specimens, we thank the following institutions: Croatian Museum of Natural History, Croatia; Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, South Africa; Francisc Rainer Anthropology Institute, Romania; National Museums of Kenya, Kenya; Mus?e d'Art et d'Arch?ologie du P?rigord, France; Mus?e d'Arch?ologie Nationale de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France; Mus?e d'Angoul?me, France; Mus?e National de Pr?histoire des Eyzies, France; Mus?e de l'Homme, France; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Spain; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany; Royal Museum for Central Africa, Belgium; Museum f?r Vor und Fr?hgeschichte, Germany; National Museum of Ethiopia, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, France; American Museum of Natural History; Rockefeller Museum, Israel; Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Belgium; Senckenberg Research Institute, Germany; Sackler School of Medicine, Israel; Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History; Center for the Study of Human Origins at New York University; Tel Aviv University, Israel Universit?t Leipzig, Germany; University of Witwatersrand, South Africa; Direction du Patrimoine Culturel and Mus?e Arch?ologique de Rabat, Morocco. We also thank Colin Menter, Bill Kimbel, Jay Kelley, Friedemann Schrenck, and Ottmar Kullmer for access to material. We thank Heiko Temming, David Plotzki, Lukas Westphal, Kornelius Kupczik, Ellis Locke, and Susan Ant?n for help and comments. For technical help with the microCT scanning of the Sivapithecus specimens, we thank Federico Bernardini and Claudio Tuniz. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (award number: 1341148), the Wenner-Gren Foundation, the Leakey Foundation, and the NYU GSAS James Arthur Fellowship (grants to A.O.). This research was also supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant no. XDB26000000). Scanning of the Vietnamese Pongo specimens was funded to Anne-Marie Bacon by the PICS-CNRS 2011-2013 (n?5712). Scanning of the fossil hominins was supported by the Max Planck Society. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.",
year = "2019",
month = dec,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1002/ajpa.23928",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "170",
pages = "595--612",
journal = "American Journal of Physical Anthropology",
issn = "0002-9483",
publisher = "Wiley-Liss Inc.",
number = "4",
}