Locomotor and taxonomic diversity of Sterkfontein hominins not supported by current trabecular evidence of the femoral head

Abstract

Based on trabecular microarchitecture of two hominin femoral head fossils, Georgiou et al. (1) advocate for locomotor and taxonomic diversity at Sterkfontein, South Africa. They describe the trabecular pattern of StW 522 ( Australopithecus africanus from Sterkfontein Member 4, dated to 2.6 to 2.1 Ma) (2) as human-like, while arguing that StW 311 displays a great ape-like pattern and, due to its potential origin from Member 5 (2.0 to 1.8 Ma) (2), warrants classification as either Paranthropus robustus or Homo sp. We argue that these conclusions are premature and unsupported by their analyses. First, the two fossils plot close together in the principal component analysis of relative bone volume/total volume (BV/TV) … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: martin.haeusler{at}iem.uzh.ch. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1