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Society of Vertebrate Paleontology's Fifty-Ninth Annual Meeting

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Society of Vertebrate Paleontology's Fifty-Ninth Annual Meeting Evolutionary Anthropology 149 NEWS Society of Vertebrate Paleontology’s Fifty-Ninth Annual Meeting he 59th annual meeting of the paleosols from the Kanapoi site in leoecological analysis of the lower Society of Vertebrate Paleon- Northern Kenya. The majority of Omo valley of Ethiopia. Their results Ttology was held against the hominid specimens, representing indicate an increase in the woodland backdrop of the Rocky Mountains in Australopithecus anamensis, were de- environment in Members E and F of Denver, Colorado from October 20– rived from Dite paleosols, which form the Shungura Formation (2.4 to 2.34 23, 1999. More than 1,000 paleontol- in areas with semi-arid to arid cli- Ma), representing a significant but ogists assembled for the largest meet- mates that have a seasonal moisture gradual change in habitat. ing in the society’s history to present regime. This indicates that Kanapoi On Friday, Don Lofgren (Raymond papers and posters on topics ranging probably had a relatively open habitat Alf Museum of Paleontology) and co- from cladistic theory and fossil prep- with scrub savanna vegetation. Inter- workers reported that preliminary aration to fish heads, bone beds, and estingly, paleoenvironmental recon- screen washing has yielded the oldest dinosaurs. The meeting was kicked off structions from Allia Bay, Kenya, the specimen ever of Plesiadapis from Cal- on Wednesday night by a reception at only other locality with A. anamensis ifornia. This specimen, which resem- the renovated Denver Museum of Nat- specimens, may have had a more bles Plesiadapis rex, is of special sig- ural History, which was the host insti- closed, gallery forest environment.2 nificance because it is from the only tution for the meeting. René Bobe and Kay Behrensmeyer Paleocene site west of Utah. It is As usual, the variety of topics at this (National Museum of Natural His- hoped that discoveries from this site meeting was extreme, and included tory) presented a taphonomic and pa- will allow faunal comparisons be- many presentations of applicability to paleoanthropologists and primatolo- gists. Several paleoenvironmental analyses of East African hominid lo- calities were presented. Hideo Nakaya (Kagawa University, Japan), Gen Suwa (University of Tokyo, Japan), and Berhane Asfaw (Rift Valley Re- serve, Ethiopia) presented data on the large mammalian fauna from Konso, Ethiopia, where specimens of Homo erectus and Australopithecus boisei have been found.1 The Konso strati- graphic formation was divided into six successive faunal zones, of which Zones 4 and 5 (1.45 to 1.35 Ma) were hominid-bearing. Analysis showed a transition from open grassland to mixed grassland and woodland, as in- dicated by decreasing proportions of alcephalines and increasing numbers of bovids, tragelaphines, and equids. The fauna of Konso is more similar to the Olduvai Bed II assemblage than to the geographically closer Turkana ba- sin, which possibly can be explained by the similarities in altitude between Figure 1. Composite of Omomys carteri. Reconstruction by J. Alexander, 1999. Skull ele- ments ϭ AMNH 130,000, collected by B. Burger, 1998. Mandible (left side reversed) ϭ ROM Konso and Olduvai. 46046, collected by GF Sternberg, 1950. Both specimens from Bridger Fm. Wyoming; Jonathan Wynn (University of Ore- Bridgerian Eocene type. Scale bar ϭ 10 mm. (Photo courtesy of John Alexander and gon) described four distinct types of Chester Tarka.) 150 Evolutionary Anthropology NEWS tween West Coast and Rocky Moun- On the extinct-primate front, Gregg museum.state.il.us/svp/. The 2000 tain sites. Paleomagnetic analysis, Gunnell (University of Michigan) in- meeting will be held in Mexico City more screenwashing efforts, and ex- troduced a revised phylogeny of from October 25–28. For more informa- pansion of the search area are adapiform primates focusing on the tion, e-mail [email protected] planned for the future. relationships and origins of Notharc- or consult the society web site. The final day of the meetings in- tus and Smilodectes. Gunnell pro- cluded several presentations featuring posed that Notharctus originated studies of both extant and extinct pri- within the Cantius radiation and con- REFERENCES mate groups. Frank Cuozzo and Mich- cluded that the genus Cantius is not elle Sauther (University of Colorado, monophyletic. John Alexander and 1 Suwa G, Asfaw B, Beyene Y, White TD, Katoh Boulder) conducted a study on dental Ross MacPhee (American Museum of S, Nagaoka S, Nakaya H, Uzawa K, Renne P, variation in a group of Lemur catta Natural History) presented the first WoldeGabriel G. 1997. The first skull of Austra- individuals from the Beza Mahafaly skull of Omomys carteri, from the lopithecus boisei. Nature 389:489–492. 2 Ward C, Leakey M, Walker A. 1999. The new 3 Special Reserve in Madagascar. Den- Grizzly Buttes in Southwest Wyoming hominid species Australopithecus anamensis. tal casts were taken from living indi- (Middle Eocene). The specimen in- Evol Anthropol 7:197–205. viduals; metric and morphological cluded rostral, frontal, and occipital 3 Sauther ML, Sussman RW, Gould L. 1999. The socioecology of the ringtailed lemur: thirty-five data were recorded. Among the more regions, as well as an endocast with years of research. Evol Anthropol 8:120–132. important points was the discovery of partial preservation of the inner-ear a distinct lower fourth premolar ossicles. This discovery may help to Keith A. Metzger metaconid in 19 of 21 specimens sur- resolve taxonomic questions within Doctoral Program in Anatomical Sciences veyed. This is significant because the the Omomyidae. Department of Anatomical Sciences absence of this trait traditionally has General information about the So- Health Sciences Center, T-8 State University of New York at Stony Brook been used as a diagnostic feature of ciety of Vertebrate Paleontology can Stony Brook, NY 11794-8081 ring-tailed lemurs. be found at its web site: http://www. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Forthcoming Articles • Rediscovering Darwin After a Darwinian Century Kenneth M. Weiss and Anne V. Buchanan • Primate Conservation in the New Millennium: The Role of Scientists Colin A. Chapman and Carlos A. Peres • The Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus): Evolutionary History and Socioecology R.A. Delgado, Jr. and Carel P. van Schaik • Postcranial Remains and the Origin of Modern Humans Osbjorn M. Pearson • Genes, Sex, Intelligence and the Meaning of Life Meredith Small.
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