New hominid article

[Ken Kinman]

Ron,
     I just rechecked, and verified that the holotype of Sahelanthropus was indeed restricted to the cranium (including upper teeth).  The right mandible is specifically referred to as a paratype.  I am also now even more convinced that I was correct in removing Sahelanthropus from Hominidae and placing it in Pongidae in my recent classification posted here on August 8th of this year (see below).

     As I said then, Ardipithecus and/or Orrorin may slip back into Hominidae if bipedality is confirmed, but I now suspect Sahelanthropus may have branched off even earlier (before Pan; perhaps as a sister group to Gorilla).   Whether the paratype mandible will remain with Sahelanthropus or end up elsewhere in Pongidae, I have no idea at this point.  As always, more fossils are needed.  Before I formally move Sahelanthropus above Pan, I need to see how it compares to Gorilla (as well as Samburupithecus).
           ------ Cheers,
                       Ken Kinman

  1  Cercopithecidae
  2  Propliopithecidae
  3  Pliopithecidae
  4  Proconsulidae
  ?  Oreopithecidae
  5  Hylobatidae
  6  Pongidae%
        1  Dryopithecus
        ?  Ouranopithecus
        2  Lufengpithecus
        B  Sivapithecus
        C  Pongo
        3  Gorilla
        ?  Samburupithecus
        4  Pan
        5  Sahelanthropus
        6  Orrorin
        B  Ardipithecus
        7  {{Hominidae}}
 _a_ Hominidae
        1  Australopithecus% (sensu lato)
       _a_ Homo