Lufengpithecus
Encyclopedia
Lufengpithecus is a genus of extinct ape
generally placed in the Ponginae
subfamily.
It contains three species: Lufengpithecus lufengensis, Lufengpithecus hudienensis and Lufengpithecus keiyuanensis.
Lufengpithecus lufengensis is a fossil ape recovered from lignite (soft coal) beds at the Shihuiba Locality in Lufeng County
, Yunnan
, China, dating to the latest Miocene
. It was originally thought to represent two distinct species, Sivapithecus yunnanensis, thought to be an ancestor of Pongo (orangutan
s), and Ramapithecus lufengensis, thought to be an early human ancestor. The recognition in the 1980s that "Ramapithecus" fossils were females of Sivapithecus
led to the creation of the new genus and species Lufengpithecus lufengensis to accommodate the large collection of hominoid fossils recovered at Lufeng in the 1970s. The species was recognized to have a very large degree of sexual dimorphism, comparable to that seen in cercopithecoid monkeys. The fossil remains from Shihuiba included a number of relatively complete but severely crushed crania of both male and female specimens.
In the 1980s and 1990s similar fossils were excavated from a number of localities in Yuanmou County
, Yunnan, China, generally attributed to a new species L. hudienensis. The specimens include a large number of teeth, mandibular and maxillary fragments and the facial skeleton of a juvenile, comparable in dental age to the famous Taung infant
australopithecine
from South Africa.
Previous hominoid material collected in the 1950s at the Keiyuan colliery site in Yunnan and attributed to Drypopithecus keiyuanensis were subsequently assigned to L. keiyuanensis.
Like Sivapithecus, Lufengpithecus has thick molar enamel and it also has relatively low canine teeth, especially in females. The lower third premolars sometimes have a slight second cusp, denoting a shift from their principal role as cutting teeth in other ape species.
While Lufengpithecus is generally considered to be a primitive pongine by most Western observers, Chinese scientists have noted a set of features that are more reminiscent of hominines, the hominid subfamily that includes African apes and humans. These include a broad interorbital distance, an "African" sub-nasal morphology, frontal sinuses and a number of dental similarities. There are also basicranial and post-cranial remains that indicate it may have had adaptations for a significant degree of bipedalism. The ultimate position of Lufengpithecus in hominoid phylogeny requires more research.
A single mandiblular fragment with P4 and M1 from the site of Longgupo in Sichuan
, China, originally assigned to the genus Homo
, has been argued to be similar to Lufengpithecus suggesting that the genus may have survived until as recently as two million years ago, possibly overlapping with both Gigantopithecus
and ancient Pongo in the region (Etler et al. 2001). One of the original authors who assigned the Longgupo specimen to Homo has since reversed position and now considers it to be a "mystery ape" (Ciochon 2009).
A possibly related species from Thailand
, has recently been assigned to the new genus and species Khoratpithecus chiangmuanensis (Chaimanee et al. 2003). This species is known only from teeth, but these appear to be intermediate in morphology between Sivapithecus and recent orangutans. At 10 million years old, the fossils may be ancestral to later Pongo. In 2004 the lower jaw and teeth of Khoratpithecus piriyai dated between 9 and 7 million years were described as a potential orangutan ancestor (Chaimanee et al. 2004).
Ape
Apes are Old World anthropoid mammals, more specifically a clade of tailless catarrhine primates, belonging to the biological superfamily Hominoidea. The apes are native to Africa and South-east Asia, although in relatively recent times humans have spread all over the world...
generally placed in the Ponginae
Ponginae
Ponginae is a subfamily in the hominidae family. It contains a number of genera, all but one extinct:*Pongo *†Gigantopithecus*†Sivapithecus*†Lufengpithecus*†Ankarapithecus*†Ouranopithecus*†Griphopithecus...
subfamily.
It contains three species: Lufengpithecus lufengensis, Lufengpithecus hudienensis and Lufengpithecus keiyuanensis.
Lufengpithecus lufengensis is a fossil ape recovered from lignite (soft coal) beds at the Shihuiba Locality in Lufeng County
Lufeng County
Lufeng County is located in Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China.-External links:**...
, Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
, China, dating to the latest Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
. It was originally thought to represent two distinct species, Sivapithecus yunnanensis, thought to be an ancestor of Pongo (orangutan
Orangutan
Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
s), and Ramapithecus lufengensis, thought to be an early human ancestor. The recognition in the 1980s that "Ramapithecus" fossils were females of Sivapithecus
Sivapithecus
Sivapithecus is a genus of extinct primates. Fossil remains of animals now assigned to this genus, dated from 12.5 million to 8.5 million years old in the Miocene, have been found since the 19th century in the Siwalik Hills in what is now India, Nepal, and Pakistan...
led to the creation of the new genus and species Lufengpithecus lufengensis to accommodate the large collection of hominoid fossils recovered at Lufeng in the 1970s. The species was recognized to have a very large degree of sexual dimorphism, comparable to that seen in cercopithecoid monkeys. The fossil remains from Shihuiba included a number of relatively complete but severely crushed crania of both male and female specimens.
In the 1980s and 1990s similar fossils were excavated from a number of localities in Yuanmou County
Yuanmou County
Yuanmou County is located in Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province, China.The famous Yuanmou Man was found in Yuanmou County in 1965.-External links:*...
, Yunnan, China, generally attributed to a new species L. hudienensis. The specimens include a large number of teeth, mandibular and maxillary fragments and the facial skeleton of a juvenile, comparable in dental age to the famous Taung infant
Taung Child
The Taung Child — or Taung Baby — is the fossilized skull of a young Australopithecus africanus individual. It was discovered in 1924 by quarrymen working for the Northern Lime Company in Taung, South Africa...
australopithecine
Australopithecine
The term australopithecine refers generally to any species in the related genera Australopithecus or Paranthropus. These species occurred in the Plio-Pleistocene era, and were bipedal and dentally similar to humans, but with a brain size not much larger than modern apes, lacking the...
from South Africa.
Previous hominoid material collected in the 1950s at the Keiyuan colliery site in Yunnan and attributed to Drypopithecus keiyuanensis were subsequently assigned to L. keiyuanensis.
Like Sivapithecus, Lufengpithecus has thick molar enamel and it also has relatively low canine teeth, especially in females. The lower third premolars sometimes have a slight second cusp, denoting a shift from their principal role as cutting teeth in other ape species.
While Lufengpithecus is generally considered to be a primitive pongine by most Western observers, Chinese scientists have noted a set of features that are more reminiscent of hominines, the hominid subfamily that includes African apes and humans. These include a broad interorbital distance, an "African" sub-nasal morphology, frontal sinuses and a number of dental similarities. There are also basicranial and post-cranial remains that indicate it may have had adaptations for a significant degree of bipedalism. The ultimate position of Lufengpithecus in hominoid phylogeny requires more research.
A single mandiblular fragment with P4 and M1 from the site of Longgupo in Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
, China, originally assigned to the genus Homo
Homo (genus)
Homo is the genus that includes modern humans and species closely related to them. The genus is estimated to be about 2.3 to 2.4 million years old, evolving from australopithecine ancestors with the appearance of Homo habilis....
, has been argued to be similar to Lufengpithecus suggesting that the genus may have survived until as recently as two million years ago, possibly overlapping with both Gigantopithecus
Gigantopithecus
Gigantopithecus is an extinct genus of ape that existed from roughly one million years to as recently as three hundred thousand years ago, in what is now China, India, and Vietnam, placing Gigantopithecus in the same time frame and geographical location as several hominin species...
and ancient Pongo in the region (Etler et al. 2001). One of the original authors who assigned the Longgupo specimen to Homo has since reversed position and now considers it to be a "mystery ape" (Ciochon 2009).
A possibly related species from Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, has recently been assigned to the new genus and species Khoratpithecus chiangmuanensis (Chaimanee et al. 2003). This species is known only from teeth, but these appear to be intermediate in morphology between Sivapithecus and recent orangutans. At 10 million years old, the fossils may be ancestral to later Pongo. In 2004 the lower jaw and teeth of Khoratpithecus piriyai dated between 9 and 7 million years were described as a potential orangutan ancestor (Chaimanee et al. 2004).