A fourth mandible and associated dental remains of Gigantopithecus blacki from the Early Pleistocene Yanliang Cave, Fusui, Guangxi, South China

摘要

Dentognathic remains of Gigantopithecus blacki from the newly discovered Early Pleistocene locality of Yanliang Cave, Guangxi, South China are described. These include an incomplete mandible, only the fourth discovered and the first known from a site other than Liucheng, as well as 25 isolated teeth. Comparisons of the Yanliang mandible show that the best preserved part of the right corpus is morphologically similar to the left side of the Liucheng Mandible III. In addition, the Yanliang mandible and the Liucheng Mandible III share a similar degree and pattern of wear on the premolars and molars. The partially resorbed alveolus for the right M-2 in the Yanliang mandible indicates antemortem tooth loss, which is the first record of its kind for Gigantopithecus blacki. Comparisons of the enamel-dentine junction morphology show that the isolated upper premolars from Yanliang are similar to those of Gigantopithecus blacki from Early Pleistocene sites, and differ from the more specialised form from the Middle Pleistocene Hejiang Cave. This supports the biochronological evidence that Yanliang Cave is Early Pleistocene in age.