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Kikuchi Y, Amano H, Ogihara N, Nakatsukasa M, Nakano Y, Shimizu D, Kunimatsu Y, Tsujikawa H, Takano T, Ishida H. Retrodeformation and functional anatomy of a cranial thoracic vertebra in Nacholapithecus kerioi. J Hum Evol 2025; 198:103613. [PMID: 39571204 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2024] [Revised: 10/15/2024] [Accepted: 10/19/2024] [Indexed: 12/30/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhiro Kikuchi
- Division of Human Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga 849-8501, Japan.
| | - Hideki Amano
- Laboratory of Human Evolutionary Biomechanics, Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Naomichi Ogihara
- Laboratory of Human Evolutionary Biomechanics, Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Masato Nakatsukasa
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Yoshihiko Nakano
- Laboratory of Biological Anthropology, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Daisuke Shimizu
- Faculty of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Chubu Gakuin University, Seki, Gifu 504-0837, Japan
| | - Yutaka Kunimatsu
- Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration, Ryukoku University, Kyoto, 612-8577, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Tsujikawa
- Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medical Science and Welfare, Tohoku Bunka Gakuen University, Miyagi, 981-8551, Japan
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Kikuchi Y. Body mass estimates from postcranial skeletons and implication for positional behavior in Nacholapithecus kerioi: Evolutionary scenarios of modern apes. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2023; 306:2466-2483. [PMID: 36753432 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
This study reported the body mass (BM) estimates of the Middle Miocene fossil hominoid Nacholapithecus kerioi from Africa. The average BM estimates from all forelimb and hindlimb skeletal elements was 22.7 kg, which is slightly higher than the previously reported estimate of ~22 kg. This study revealed that Nacholapithecus has a unique body proportion with an enlarged forelimb relative to a smaller hindlimb, suggesting an antipronograde posture/locomotion, which may be related to the long clavicle, robust ribs, and some hominoid-like vertebral morphology. Because the BM of Nacholapithecus in this study was estimated to be below 30 kg, Nacholapithecus probably did not have relatively shorter and robust femora, which may result from other mechanical constraints, as seen in extant African hominoids. The BM estimate of Nacholapithecus suggests that full substantial modifications of the trunk and forelimb anatomy for risk avoidance and foraging efficiency, as seen in extant great apes, would not be expected in Nacholapithecus. Because larger monkeys are less arboreal (e.g., Mandrillus sphinx or Papio spp.), and the maximum BM among extant constant arboreal cercopithecoids is ~24 kg (male Nasalis larvatus), Nacholapithecus would be a constant arboreal primate. Although caution should be applied because of targeting only males in this study, arboreal quadrupedalism with upright posture and occasional antipronograde locomotion (e.g., climbing, chambering, descending, arm-swing, and sway) using the powerful grasping capacity of the hand and foot may be assumed for positional behavior of Nacholapithecus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhiro Kikuchi
- Division of Human Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga, Japan
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Arias-Martorell J, Urciuoli A, Almécija S, Alba DM, Nakatsukasa M. The radial head of the Middle Miocene ape Nacholapithecus kerioi: Morphometric affinities, locomotor inferences, and implications for the evolution of the hominoid humeroradial joint. J Hum Evol 2023; 178:103345. [PMID: 36933453 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Julia Arias-Martorell
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Auntònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; School of Anthropology and Conservation, Marlowe Building, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NR, UK.
| | - Alessandro Urciuoli
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Division of Palaeoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Auntònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sergio Almécija
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10024, USA; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Auntònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David M Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Auntònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Masato Nakatsukasa
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, 606-8502 Kyoto, Japan
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Pina M, Kikuchi Y, Nakatsukasa M, Nakano Y, Kunimatsu Y, Ogihara N, Shimizu D, Takano T, Tsujikawa H, Ishida H. New femoral remains of Nacholapithecus kerioi: Implications for intraspecific variation and Miocene hominoid evolution. J Hum Evol 2021; 155:102982. [PMID: 33862402 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.102982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The middle Miocene stem kenyapithecine Nacholapithecus kerioi (16-15 Ma; Nachola, Kenya) is represented by a large number of isolated fossil remains and one of the most complete skeletons in the hominoid fossil record (KNM-BG 35250). Multiple fieldwork seasons performed by Japanese-Kenyan teams during the last part of the 20th century resulted in the discovery of a large sample of Nacholapithecus fossils. Here, we describe the new femoral remains of Nacholapithecus. In well-preserved specimens, we evaluate sex differences and within-species variation using both qualitative and quantitative traits. We use these data to determine whether these specimens are morphologically similar to the species holotype KNM-BG 35250 (which shows some plastic deformation) and to compare Nacholapithecus with other Miocene hominoids and extant anthropoids to evaluate the distinctiveness of its femur. The new fossil evidence reaffirms previously reported descriptions of some distal femoral traits, namely the morphology of the patellar groove. However, results also show that relative femoral head size in Nacholapithecus is smaller, relative neck length is longer, and neck-shaft angle is lower than previously reported for KNM-BG 35250. These traits have a strong functional signal related to the hip joint kinematics, suggesting that the morphology of the proximal femur in Nacholapithecus might be functionally related to quadrupedal-like behaviors instead of more derived antipronograde locomotor modes. Results further demonstrate that other African Miocene apes (with the exception of Turkanapithecus kalakolensis) generally fall within the Nacholapithecus range of variation, whose overall femoral shape resembles that of Ekembo spp. and Equatorius africanus. Our results accord with the previously inferred locomotor repertoire of Nacholapithecus, indicating a combination of generalized arboreal quadrupedalism combined with other antipronograde behaviors (e.g., vertical climbing).
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Pina
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, C/ Columnes S/n, Campus de La UAB, 08193, Cerdanyola Del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Yasuhiro Kikuchi
- Division of Human Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, Saga, 849-8501, Japan
| | - Masato Nakatsukasa
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Yoshihiko Nakano
- Department of Biological Anthropology, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, 565-8502, Japan
| | - Yutaka Kunimatsu
- Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration, Ryukoku University, Kyoto, 612-8577, Japan
| | - Naomichi Ogihara
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan
| | - Daisuke Shimizu
- Faculty of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Chubu Gakuin University, Seki, Gifu, 504-0837, Japan
| | | | - Hiroshi Tsujikawa
- Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medical Science and Welfare, Tohoku Bunka Gakuen University, Sendai, 981-8551, Japan
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Morimoto N, Kunimatsu Y, Nakatsukasa M, Ponce de León MS, Zollikofer CPE, Ishida H, Sasaki T, Suwa G. Variation of bony labyrinthine morphology in Mio−Plio−Pleistocene and modern anthropoids. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 173:276-292. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Naoki Morimoto
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
| | - Yutaka Kunimatsu
- Faculty of Business Administration Ryukoku University Fushimi, Kyoto Japan
| | - Masato Nakatsukasa
- Laboratory of Physical Anthropology Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
| | | | | | | | | | - Gen Suwa
- University Museum, University of Tokyo Hongo, Bunkyo‐ku, Tokyo Japan
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Sexual dimorphism of body size in an African fossil ape, Nacholapithecus kerioi. J Hum Evol 2018; 123:129-140. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Revised: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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