Australopithecus deyiremeda

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Australopithecus deyiremeda
Temporal range:
Ma
↓
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Hominidae
Subfamily: Homininae
Tribe: Hominini
Genus: †Australopithecus
Species:
†A. deyiremeda
Binomial name
†Australopithecus deyiremeda
Haile-Selassie et al., 2015
Synonyms

Australopithecus deyiremeda is an

niche partitioning to avoid competing
with each other for the same resources, such as by relying on different fallback foods during leaner times.

Taxonomy

Australopithecus deyiremeda was first proposed in 2015 by Ethiopian palaeoanthropologist

Middle Pliocene.[1]

The describers believed the remains were distinct enough from the contemporary and well-known

statistically significant, given how few specimens of A. deyiremeda exist, it is unclear if this indeed warrants species distinction or if these specimens simply add to the normal range of variation for A. afarensis. If it is a valid species, then it could possibly indicate some A. afarensis specimens are currently classified into the wrong species.[2][3]

Haile-Selassie and colleagues noted that, though it shares many similarities with the robust Paranthropus, it may not have been closely related because it lacked enlarged molars which are characteristic of Paranthropus.[4]

African
hominin timeline (in mya)
View references
H. sapiensH. nalediH. rhodesiensisH. ergasterAu. sedibaP. robustusP. boiseiH. rudolfensisH. habilisAu. garhiP. aethiopicusLD 350-1K. platyopsAu. bahrelghazaliAu. deyiremedaAu. africanusAu. afarensisAu. anamensisAr. ramidusAr. kadabba


Anatomy

Despite being so early, the jaws of A. deyiremeda show some similarities to those of the later

A. anamensis. The cheek teeth are quite small for an early hominin, and the first molar is the smallest reported for an adult Pliocene hominin. Nonetheless, the enamel was still thick as other early hominins, and the enamel on the second molar is quite high and more similar to P. robustus. The jawbone, though small, is robust and more similar to that of Paranthropus.[1]

Reconstruction of BRT-VP-2/73

In 2012, a 3.4-million-year-old partial foot, BRT-VP-2/73, was recovered from Woranso–Mille. It strongly diverges from contemporary and later hominins by having a dextrous big toe like the earlier Ardipithecus ramidus, and consequently has not been assigned to a species.[5] Though more diagnostic facial elements have since been discovered in the area, they are not clearly associated with the foot.[1]

Palaeoecology

A. deyiremeda features a strong jawbone and thick enamel, consistent with a diet of tough

niche partitioning given they cohabited the same area. That is, given dental and chewing differences, they may have had different dietary and/or habitat preferences, unless these differences were simply a product of genetic drift.[2][7] Much like chimpanzees and gorillas which have more or less the same diet and inhabit the same areas, A. deyiremeda and A. afarensis may have shared typical foods when in abundance, and resorted to different fallback foods in times of food scarcity.[3]

The

cores made of basalt, phonolite and trachyphonolite.[8] They held the core with one hand and struck it vertically with a hammerstone, which is a simple process, though more complex than the tool-making behaviours of non-human primates.[9]

The Middle Pliocene of Woranso–Mille features

bovid species do not seem to be specialised for any particular type of ground (such as wet, pliable, or hard), and the teeth of hoofed species indicates an equal abundance of grazers, browsers and mixed feeders. These suggest a mixed environment which features both open grasslands as well as forests probably growing on a lake- or riverside. Similar mosaic landscapes were inhabited by A. anamensis and A. afarensis who seem to have had no preferred environment.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^
    S2CID 4455029
    .
  2. ^
    PMID 27298462
    .
  3. ^
    PMID 27274043
    .
  4. S2CID 4455029
    .
  5. S2CID 4425418
    .
  6. PMID 26287023. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on October 2, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  7. ^
    S2CID 4472489
    .
  8. S2CID 1207285
    .
  9. doi:10.1017/S0959774318000550
    .
  10. PMID 27343774
    .

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Australopithecus_deyiremeda&oldid=1217397744"