Josh's flashcards
List four platyrrhine synapomorphies/traits.
1) 3 premolars
2) Ring-like ectotympanic fused
3) I shaped pterion
4) No size sexual dimorphism
Hylobatid traits
1) Extremely long arms and hands
2) No incisive canal
Cercopithecoid synapomorphies/traits.
1) Bilophodonty adaptations
2) No hypoconulid on M1 and M2
3) Tail present
4) Legs longer than arms (arboreal quadrupeds mostly)
Catarrhine synapomorphies/traits.
1) H-shaped pterion
2) 2 premolars
3) Tubular ectotympanic
Anthropoid synapomorphies/traits.
1) Fused mandibular symphysis
2) Fused frontal bone
3) Complete postorbital closure
4) No paraconid
5) Trigonid and talonid are the same height
6) Taller face
Hominid symapomorphies/traits
1) Pongo
- incisor heteromorphy
- No anterior digrastic muscle scar
- Smooth subnasal
2) Pan/Gorilla
- thin enamel
- stepped subnasal
All = incisive canal
Tarsier synapomorphies/traits
1) Large orbits
2) Fused tibia-fibula
3) Massively elongated tarsals
4) Bell-shaped palate
5) Tubular ectotympanic
6) Pterygoid plates contact bulla
Strepsirrhine synapomorphies/ traits
1) Tooth comb
2) Grooming claw
3) Ring-like ectotympanic
4) Cranial blood supply from the stapedial branch of the internal carotid (lorises ascending pharyngeal)
5) Sloped fibular facet
Primate evolution theories
1) Arboreal theory:
- orbital convergence for depth perception when climbing
- nails avoid injury
- but squirrels
2) Visual predation theory:
- orbital convergence for depth perception when hunting insects
3) Angiosperm radiation theory:
- Expansion of angiosperms coincided with evolution of primates
- Arboreal capabilities to reach the fruit
- colour vision
List four hominin synapomorphies
1) Bipedalism
2) Large EQ
3) Associated with high tool use
4) Small canines
Homo habilis/rudolfensis traits
1) Reduced prognathism
2) Small incisors/canines
3) Oldowan tool use
4) Well developed foot arch
5) H. rudolfensis shows most significant EQ increase yet
Homo erectus/ergaster/georgicus traits
1) Human-like body proportions (legs longer than arms)
2) Barrel-chested (like humans)
3) No chin
4) Postnasal prognathism
5) Thick supraorbital torus
6) Largest EQ yet
7) Small masticoid process
8) Projecting nasal bones
9) Sagittal keel (Asian)
10) Acheulean tool use
Describe Homo erectus (Asia)
1) Thick cranial vault
2) Sagittal keel
3) Robust face
4) Thick supraorbital torus
Describe Homo ergaster (Africa)
1) Cranial vault positioned higher
2) No sagittal keel
3) Gracile face
4) Thin supraorbital torus and cranial bones
5) Slightly smaller brain size than H. erectus
List Australopithecine/Praeanthropus traits
1) Semi-bipedal (bipedal adaptations of legs/feet and arboreal adaptations of thorax/arms/hands
2) Thicker enamel (but still thin compared to humans)
3) EQ larger than chimp range
List some hominoid synapomorphies/traits.
1) Low, rounded molar cusps (frugivory)
2) No tail
3) Longer arms than legs (suspensory except in early African hominids)
4) Y5 molar formation
Name three Homo erectus specimens
1) Peking man
2) Turkana boy
- 85% complete
- 8-12 years old
3) Gona pelvis
- female pelvis
- shows intermediate birth canal
Name one Praeanthropus specimen.
1) Lucy
- Pr. afarensis
- AL 288-1
- 40% complete
2) Selam/Lucy’s child
- Pr. afarensis
- 3 yrs old
Name one Australopithecus specimen
1) Taung child
- Australopithecus africanus
List some characteristics of bipedalism
1) Valgus knee
2) Lumbar curve
3) Short, broad ilium
4) Arched foot, non-divergent hallux
5) Downward facing ankle joint
6) Long femoral neck
List some suspensory traits
1) Very long forelimbs
2) Long clavicle
3) Globular humeral head
4) Dorsally humeral head
5) Broad thorax/sternum
6) Round radial hea
7) Reduced ulnar styloid
Lis three omomyid species
1) Afrotarsius
2) Archicebus achilles
3) Necrolemur
List five adapid species
1) Adapis
2) Darwinius masillae
3) Afradapis
4) Notharctus venticolus
5) Smilodectes
Three haplorhine synapomorphies/traits
1) Cranial blood supply via promontory branch of internal carotid artery
2) Partial/full postorbital closure
3) Reduced ethnoturbinals
Describe the orbital closure status of tarsiers, anthropoids and strepsirrhines.
1) Streps have no postorbital closure
2) Tarsiers have partial postorbital closure
3) Anthropoids have full postorbital closure
Describe the ectotympanics of lemurs, Lorisiformes, tarsiers, catarrhines and platyrrhines
1) Lemurs = ring-like suspended
2) Lorisiformes = ring-like fused
3) Tarsiers = tubular
4) Catarrhines = tubular
5) Platyrrhines = ring-like, fused
