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189-191, 1999 Anthropological Science 107 (2), 189-191, 1999 New Hominoid Genus from the Middle Miocene of Nachola, Kenya Hidemi Ishida1, Yutaka Kunimatsu2, Masato Nakatsukasa1, and Yoshihiko Nakano3 1 Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto 2 Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama 3 Faculty of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Suita (Submitted July 14, 1999; Accepted July 15, 1999) Abstract A new genus and species, Nacholapithecus kerioi have been erected for the large-bodied Miocene hominoid specimens discovered from Nachola , Kenya. Keywords: Hominoid, Middle Miocene, Kenyapithecus, East Africa, Kenya Introduction Since 1982, abundant hominoid fossils have been found in the Aka-Aiteputh Formation near Nachola Samburu District, northern Kenya (Ishida and others, 1984; Rose and others, 1996; Nakatsukasa and others, 1998). In previous papers this material has been assigned to the genus Kenyapithecus Leakey, 1962, as "Kenyapithecus" sp. or K. cf africanus (Le Gros Clark and Leakey, 1951) but it has been evident to us for a number of years that the material is distinct from both Kenyapithecus wickeri and K. africanus not only at the specific, but also at the generic level. Continued use of the name Kenyapithecus for the Nachola hominoid implies closer relationships to this genus than is the case and we accordingly erect a new genus and species to highlight its distinctiveness. SYSTEMATICS Order Primates Linnaeus 1758 Superfamily Hominoidea Gray 1825 Family incertae sedis Genus Nacholapithecus gen. nov. Corresponding author: Hidemi Ishida Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University Kitashirakawa-Oiwakechou, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8502 Japan TEL: +81-75-753-4083 FAX: +81-75-753-4083 E-mail: [email protected] 190 Ishida H., Kunimatsu Y., Nakatsukasa M., and Nakano Y. Generic diagnosis: Large-bodied hominoid, similar in size to Papio cynocephalus; strongly sexually dimorphic; maxillae with prominent canine juga and deep canine fossa; zygomatic process positioned above M1-M2, departing from maxilla at a steep angle; root of zygomatic arch low down on maxilla; subnasal region moderately elongated; I1-2 procumbent; palate shallow; incisive foramen small with slight overlap of premaxilla over the palatal process; mandibular body tall and thin; inferior transverse torus moderately developed; buccal hollow below lower premolars; canine jugum prominent; symphysis steep; root of ramus in anterior position (hiding the rear half of M3 in lateral view); high crowned and robust; C* and C* low crowned and robust; strong cusp heteromorphy in P3-4; two transverse crests and three distinct foveae in P4; upper molars with reduced lingual cingulum and relatively narrow crowns; I1-2 high crowned and narrow; C* low crowned and strongly bilaterally compressed; lower molars with moderately developed buccal cingula; M3 with triangular occlusal outline; high intermembral index (forelimb appreciably longer than hindlimb). Species Nacholapithecus kerioi sp. nov. Holotype: KNM BG 35250, partial skeleton comprising maxillae and mandible, incomplete vertebral column, and parts of both forelimbs and hindlimbs listed by Nakatsukasa and others. (1998). Referred material: Abundant dentognathic and postcranial specimens from the Aka Aiteputh Formation, northern Kenya. A complete list will be provided in Ishida and others (in preparation). Species diagnosis: as for genus. Type locality: BG K, Nachola, northern Kenya. Age: Middle Miocene, about 15 Ma (Sawada and others, 1998). Etymology: The generic name is for the village of Nachola, Samburu District, Kenya; the species name honours the late Chief Kerio of Nachola. REFERENCES Ishida H., Pickford M., Nakaya H., and Nakano Y.(1984) Fossil Anthropoids from Nachola and Samburu Hills, Samburu District, Kenya. African Study Monographs Supplementary Issue, vol.2, pp.73-85. Leakey L.S.B. (1962) A new Lower Pliocene fossil primate from Kenya. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History, vol.13, pp.689-696. Le Gros Clark W.E. and Leakey L.S.B. (1951) The Miocene Hominoidea of East Africa. Fossil Mammals of Africa, vol.1, pp.1-117. Nakatsukasa M., Yamanaka A., Kunimatsu Y., Shimizu D., and Ishida H. (1998) A newly discovered Kenyapithecus skeleton and its implications for the evolution of positional behavior in Miocene East African hominoids. Journal of Human Evolution, vol.34, pp.657-664. New Hominoid Genus from the East African Miocene 191 Rose M., Nakano Y., and Ishida H. (1996) Kenyapithecus postcranial specimens from Nachola, Kenya. African Study Monographs Supplementary Issue, vol.24, pp.3-56. Sawada Y., Pickford M., Itaya T., Makinouchi T., Tateishi, M., Kabeto, K., Ishida S., and Ishida H. (1998) K-Ar ages of Miocene Hominoidea (Kenyapithecus and Samburupithecus) from Samburu Hills, Northern Kenya. Compte rendus du l'Academie Sciences, Serie II, Paris, Sciences de la terre et des planetes, vol.326, pp.445-451. Handling editor: Saitou Naruya.
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