DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.02.018.
Scopus记录号: 2-s2.0-84926036766
论文题名: Biogeography and molar morphology of Pleistocene African elephants: Dew evidence from Elandsfontein, Western Cape Province, SouthAfrica
作者: Smith K.M. ; Stynder D.D.
刊名: Quaternary Science Reviews
ISSN: 2773791
出版年: 2015
卷: 115 起始页码: 101
结束页码: 111
语种: 英语
英文关键词: Biogeography
; Elandsfontein
; Elephas
; Loxodonta
; Molar morphology
; Pleistocen
Scopus关键词: Ecology
; Biogeography
; Elandsfontein
; Elephas
; Loxodonta
; Pleistocen
; Morphology
; archaeological evidence
; biogeography
; elephant
; fossil assemblage
; habitat selection
; morphology
; Pleistocene
; species occurrence
; Cape Province
; South Africa
; Elephantidae
; Elephas
; Elephas recki
; Loxodonta
英文摘要: Elandsfontein (EFT) is a Middle Pleistocene archaeological/paleontological site located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The largest herbivore in the assemblage is Loxodonta atlantica zulu, an extinct member of the genus that includes modern African elephants. No Elephas recki specimens were recovered at EFT, despite their common occurrence in other regions of Africa at the same time. Because E.recki and L.atlantica molars are similar in appearance, but the two species are traditionally viewed as dominating different regions of Africa during the Pleistocene, isolated molars may on occasions have been assessed to species level on the basis of geography rather than morphology. The last morphologic evaluation of EFT elephants was conducted in the 1970s, and revisiting this issue with new specimens provides added insight into the evolution of elephants in Africa. Reevaluating morphological characteristics of EFT elephant molars, through qualitative and quantitative description and comparison with Middle Pleistocene E. recki recki, L. atlantica atlantica, and L.atlantica zulu molar morphology, corroborates assessment of EFT elephants as L.a. zulu. Two recently discovered, previously undescribed molars from EFT show that molars of L.a. zulu exhibit greater variation in enamel thickness, lamellar frequency, and occlusal surface morphology than previously reported. An update of the Pleistocene biogeography of Loxodonta and Elephas indicates that fossil remains of both are often found at the same localities in eastern Africa. Their rare co-occurrences in the north and south, however, suggest geographic separation of the two genera in at least some regions of Africa, which may have been based on habitat preference. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. Citation statistics:
资源类型: 期刊论文
标识符: http://119.78.100.158/handle/2HF3EXSE/60075
Appears in Collections: 过去全球变化的重建
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作者单位: Department of Geology and Geography and Georgia Southern Museum, Georgia Southern University, Box 8149, Statesboro, GA, United States; Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Science, University of Cape Town,Private Bag, Rondebosch, South Africa
Recommended Citation:
Smith K.M.,Stynder D.D.. Biogeography and molar morphology of Pleistocene African elephants: Dew evidence from Elandsfontein, Western Cape Province, SouthAfrica[J]. Quaternary Science Reviews,2015-01-01,115