Papio Cranium from the Hominin-Bearing Site of Malapa: Implications for the Evolution of Modern Baboon Cranial Morphology and South African Plio-Pleistocene Biochronology

Abstract

A new partial cranium (UW 88-886) of the Plio-Pleistocene baboon Papio angusticeps from Malapa is identified, described and discussed. UW 88-886 represents the only non-hominin primate yet recovered from Malapa and is important both in the context of baboon evolution as well as South African hominin site biochronology. The new specimen may represent the first appearance of modern baboon anatomy and coincides almost perfectly with molecular divergence date estimates for the origin of the modern P. hamadryas radiation. The fact that the Malapa specimen is dated between ~2.026–2.36 million years ago (Ma) also has implications for the biochronology of other South African Plio-Pleistocene sites where P. angusticeps is found.

Evolution of the modern baboon (Papio hamadryas): A reassessment of the African Plio-Pleistocene record

“…Relative to other Papio taxa, P. izodi is small-to-medium sized and displays molars and orbits that are large relative to cranial size, a relatively short (anteroposteriorly) and broad snout, a relatively dorso-ventrally short neurocranium, and a relatively dorsoventrally short malar region (Figs. 2e4;Freedman, 1957;Delson, 1988;McKee, 1993;Gilbert et al, 2015). In addition, this taxon displays shallow maxillary fossae, a variable anteorbital drop, weak to absent mandibular corpus fossae, and weak development of the maxillary ridges (in males and females) compared to most other Papio taxa (Figs.…”

Patterns of craniofacial variation and taxonomic diversity in the South African Cercopithecidae fossil record

“…TM211 was originally described as Papio spelaeus (Broom, 1936). M3147 has also been published as P. h. robinsoni (Gilbert et al, 2015). Freedman, 1962;Frost et al, 2003;Singleton, 2002;Leigh, 2006).…”

Upper third molar internal structural organization and semicircular canal morphology in Plio-Pleistocene South African cercopithecoids

“…The external craniodental morphology of extinct cercopithecoids has been widely described since the earliest discoveries in South Africa and subsequently used to define fossil cercopithecoid alpha taxonomy (e.g., Freedman, 1957;Maier, 1970;Eisenhart, 1974;Szalay and Delson, 1979;Jablonski, 2002). The most recent reviews of the material available and descriptions of new discoveries and additional specimens have used 'traditional' external morphological features and both clarified and expanded the currently accepted taxonomic pattern (e.g., Gilbert, 2013;Gilbert et al, 2015). However, despite the potential value of endostructural information in taxonomic studies, the internal morpho-structural condition of extinct cercopithecoid taxa is reported in only a few studies (e.g., Beaudet, 2015;Beaudet et al, 2015Beaudet et al, , 2016.…”