Reconstruction of the Dental Arcades of Ramapithecus wickeri

Abstract

SPECIES of Ramapithecus are among the few hominoid species currently considered as possibly close to the direct line of human ancestry. One of the most striking resemblances between Ramapithecus and later hominids is the supposed presence of parabolic dental arcades¹. In view of the important evolutionary position postulated for these imperfectly known species we have made a reconstruction of the mandible and lower part of the face of the Kenyan species R. wickeri (Leakey)^2,3. Previous attempts at reconstruction^4–6 have been necessarily conjectural because there were no midline points upon which tooth row divergence could be based. The mandible of R. wickeri (KNM-FT 45)³ is so far the only specimen of this species, or of the closely related R. punjabicus (Pilgrim), that has the midline preserved at any point. It is also likely that it is associated with the maxilla specimen (KNM-FT 46).