The taxonomic status of the Chemeron temporal (KNM-BC 1)

Title

The taxonomic status of the Chemeron temporal (KNM-BC 1)

Creator

Sherwood R J; Ward S C; Hill A

Publisher

Journal of Human Evolution

Date

2002
2002-01

Description

Temporal bone morphology, as part of the basicranium, is commonly used in systematic evaluation of early hominid fossils. When an isolated right temporal bone, KNM-BC 1 (the Chemeron temporal) was discovered in the Baringo Basin, Kenya, Tobias (1967a, Nature 215, 476-480), citing ambiguity of characters, hesitated to place the specimen generically, attributing the fossil only to Hominidae gen. et sp. indet. Since that discovery, the early hominid sample has grown considerably and comparisons with this expanded dataset led Hill et al. (1992a, Nature 355, 719-722) to revise the placement of KNM-BC 1 including it within the genus Homo. This revision was possible due to the increased number of hominid fossil specimens from the late Pliocene/early Pleistocene, most notably members of the genus Homo. A thorough investigation into the utility of the temporal bone in hominid systematics shows that many features, as currently used. in the literature, demonstrate high levels of variation thus questioning their phyletic valence. It is shown, however, that the temporal bone still contains useful systematic information. A detailed anatomical description of KNM-BC 1 is provided and, when discussed in the context of temporal bone features provided, affirms the conclusion of Hill et al. (1992a) and places the fossil within the genus Homo. (C) 2002 Academic Press.

Subject

Anthropology; australopithecus-africanus; Chemeron temporal; earliest homo; Evolutionary Biology; extant; fossil hominids; hadar formation; hominoids; Homo; lake turkana; meningeal vascular patterns; plio-pleistocene hominids; south-africa; swartkrans formation; temporal bone

Format

Journal Article

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Rights

Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

Pages

153-184

Issue

1

Volume

42

Citation

Sherwood R J; Ward S C; Hill A, “The taxonomic status of the Chemeron temporal (KNM-BC 1),” NEOMED Bibliography Database, accessed March 18, 2024, https://neomed.omeka.net/items/show/7164.