Degree
Master of Arts
Program
Anthropology
Supervisor
Dr. Andrew Nelson
Abstract
This thesis performed a micro-CT analysis of extant hominoid subnasal anatomy and a review of the subnasal anatomy of the Miocene hominoids. This thesis tested the hypothesis that the extant hominoids exhibit diagnostic morphological patterns of the subnasal anatomy that are phylogenetically informative. The terminology of the subnasal anatomy was revised and new measurements were constructed to analyze the morphology of the hominoid subnasal anatomy. It is suggested that previous analyses of the hominoid subnasal anatomy were limited by technological constraints, poorly constructed measurements, and ambiguous terminology. This micro-CT analysis confirmed that the extant hominoids do exhibit diagnostic patterns of their subnasal morphology and that these patterns are indeed phylogenetically informative. A new character state was also discovered that differentiated extant cercopithecoids from extant hominoids. The extant hominids exhibit a shared derived subnasal morphology, while Pongo exhibits the most diagnostic and derived morphological pattern among the extant hominoids.
Recommended Citation
Klages, Arthur M., "A Micro-CT Analysis of the Hominoid Subnasal Anatomy" (2013). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 1543.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/1543