On the importance of using standardized anatomical terminology in palaeoanthropology: The missing StW 431 pubic body
| dc.contributor.author | VanSickle, Caroline | |
| dc.contributor.author | Zipfel, Bernhard | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-09-03T07:25:07Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-09-03T07:25:07Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-09 | |
| dc.department | Evolutionary Studies Institute ESI | |
| dc.description.abstract | In 1987, a partial right pubic bone, StW 431ef, was unearthed with hominin skeletal remains at Sterkfontein Cave, South Africa. It preserved the lateral portion of the superior pubic ramus, yet has been described in the literature as a “pubic body”. We confirmed that no medial pubic fragments were discovered with this fossil and sought to explain why it has been described this way. We found that international anatomical terminology guidelines for humans define the pubic body with medial elements, while veterinary guidelines associate it with the portion near the acetabulum We suggest that as a hominin, the StW 431ef pubis should be described based on the human standards, and is thus the lateral portion of a superior pubic ramus. This case illustrates the importance of palaeoanthropologists agreeing on which international standard to follow to ensure clarity and accuracy across disciplines and over time. | |
| dc.description.submitter | JNC | |
| dc.faculty | Faculty of Science | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 2410-4418 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10539/40427 | |
| dc.journal.title | Palaeontologia africana | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | The Evolutionary Studies Institute | |
| dc.rights | Copyright 2024 the Authors. This is an open-access article published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License (CC BY4.0). To view a copy of the license, please visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. | |
| dc.school | School of Geosciences | |
| dc.subject | Sterkfontein | |
| dc.subject | Hip bone | |
| dc.subject | Innominate | |
| dc.subject | Os coxae | |
| dc.subject | Hominin | |
| dc.subject | Anatomical standards | |
| dc.title | On the importance of using standardized anatomical terminology in palaeoanthropology: The missing StW 431 pubic body | |
| dc.type | Article |