THE TEMPORAL BONES FROM SIMA-DE-LOS-HUESOS MIDDLE PLEISTOCENE SITE (SIERRA-DE-ATAPUERCA, SPAIN) - A PHYLOGENETIC APPROACH

Three well-preserved crania and 22 temporal bones were recovered from the Sima de los Huesos Middle Pleistocene site up to and including the 1994 field season. This is the largest sample of hominid temporal bon es known from a single Middle Pleistocene site and it offers the chanc e to characterize the temporal hone morphology of an European Middle P leistocene population and to study the phylogenetic relationships of t he SH sample with other Upper and Middle Pleistocene hominids. We have carried out a cladistic analysis based on nine traits commonly used i n phylogenetic analysis of Middle and Late Pleistocene hominids: shape of the temporal squama superior border, articular eminence morphology , contribution of the sphenoid bone to the median glenoid wall, postgl enoid process projection, tympanic plate orientation, presence of the styloid process, mastoid process projection, digastric groove morpholo gy and anterior mastoid tubercle. We have found two autapomorphies on the Homo erectus temporal bone: strong reduction of the postglenoid pr ocess and absence of the styloid process. Modern humans, Neandertals a nd the Middle Pleistocene fossils from Europe and Africa constitute a clade characterized by a convex superior border of the temporal squama . The European Middle Pleistocene fossils from Sima de los Huesos, Pet ralona, Steinheim, Bilzingsleben and Castel di Guide share a Neanderta l apomorphy: a relatively flat-articular eminence. The fossils from Eh ringsdorf, La Chaise (Suard) and Biache-Saint-Vaast also display anoth er Neandertal derived trait: an anteriorly obliterated digastric groov e. Modern humans and the African Middle Pleistocene fossils share a sy napomorphy: a sagittally orientated tympanic plate. (C) 1997 Academic Press Limited.