[Taxacom] Hominoid classification (was: Incertae sedis)

[Kenneth Kinman]

Dear All,
         I had a little extra time this evening, so I was looking at a
couple of other fossil hominoid genera named in recent years
(Nakalipithecus and Chororapithcus).  Based on them and various
interpretations of Ouranopithecus, I have concluded that all three of
these genera probably split off after the orangutan clade (i.e.,
Lufengpithecus, Sivapithecus, Khoratpithecus and Pongo).  I no longer
regard Ouranopithecus as incertae sedis next to the more basal
("primitive") Dryopithecus.                           
        Ouranopithecus and Nkalipithecus seem closely related, likely
splitting off before the gorilla-chimpanzee-hominid clade (but after the
orangutan clade)  Chororapithecus, on the other hand seems closer to
Gorilla, so I am placing it in the Gorilla-Pan-hominid polytomy.   Here
is how my classification looks with these additions and changes (NOTE: I
probably will not attempt to re-cladify the gorilla-chimp-hominid clade
until a much anticipated whole genome analysis is published):
 
   11 Pongidae% 
            1 Dryopithecus (sensu lato)
            2 Lufengpithecus
            B Sivapithecus
            C Khoratpithecus
            D Pongo 
            3 Ouranopithecus
            B Nakalipithecus 
           4A Gorilla
            A Chororapithecus 
            A Samburupithecus
            A Pan
            A Sahelanthropus
            A Orrorin
            A Ardipithecus
            A {{Hominidae}} 

    _a_ Hominidae 
            1 Australopithecus% (sensu lato)
          _a_ Homo 


P.S.  Polytomies, such as the whole gorilla-chimp-hominid clade above,
are sometimes not referred to as "incertae sedis", but with a more
precise term "sedis mutabilis".  So I guess the above classification
contains one large polytomy (including a number of genera which are
"sedis mutabilis"), but none of which are probably truly "incertae
sedis" (although some might disagree with that view).  Ouranopithecus
now seems less incertae sedis than it was previously, but some workers
would probably even put it in the gorilla-chimp-hominid polytomy.  So
this present placement is in between where they might place it and where
it was previously.  As always, more fossil material is clearly needed.

        --------------Ken Kinman