步氏巨猿研究九十年的回顾与展望  

Review and perspective of the ninety years in quest of Gigantopithecus blacki

作　　者：张颖奇[1] ZHANG Yingqi(Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100044)

机构地区：[1]中国科学院古脊椎动物与古人类研究所,北京100044

出　　处：《人类学学报》2024年第6期1006-1026,共21页Acta Anthropologica Sinica

基　　金：中国科学院战略性先导科技专项(B类)(XDB26000000)。

摘　　要：步氏巨猿从发现至今已有90年的历史,但是其化石材料仍然局限于产自19处洞穴堆积化石地点的4件不完整下颌骨和近2000颗游离牙齿。在现有的化石材料和地点基础上,同仁们已经对步氏巨猿的系统发育关系、演化趋势、体质量和体型大小、生态、食性、绝灭原因等方方面面进行了探讨,最大程度地揭开了这一大型人科成员的神秘面纱。虽然现有共识将步氏巨猿视为猩猩亚科中Sivapithecus-Indopithecus支系上一个特化的末梢成员,但该认识尚需突破性化石材料尤其是颅骨形态的检验。根据推测体质量和体型大小,步氏巨猿应该为地栖四足行走者,这一点也有待颅后骨骼尤其是四肢骨骼化石材料的检验。本文除系统梳理其研究历史之外,也对诸如“神秘古猿”究竟是人是猿、中国南方喀斯特地区的上新世化石记录空白等与步氏巨猿后续研究和我国早期人类演化息息相关的科学问题进行了展望,期待将来在中国南方地区能有突破性的新发现,重新给人属早期演化相关理论注入中国乃至亚洲元素。It’s been 90 years since the initial discovery of Gigantopithecus blacki,however,the hypodigm is still limited to 4 incomplete lower jaws and nearly 2000 isolated teeth recovered from 19 karst cave sites.Scientists have investigated various aspects of this giant ape including phylogeny,evolutionary trends,body mass and stature,ecology,diet,extinction,etc.based on the fossil material and the geological information of these sites.As a result,the mystery surrounding this hominid has been unveiled to the fullest possible extent.Although the current consensus takes G.blacki as a terminal member of the Sivapithecus-Indopithecus clade in Ponginae,it still needs to be tested by stronger fossil evidence such as the cranial or facial morphology.It has been inferred that G.blacki should be a ground-dwelling quadruped based on its body mass and stature.This also needs to be tested by the postcranial morphology,especially that of the limb bones.The early studies of G.blacki involved Peking Man in many ways.It was even considered as the direct ancestor of the human lineage by Weidenreichi.To commemorate the 95^(th)anniversary of the discovery of the first skullcap of Peking Man,the research history as well as the known and the unknown of G.blacki is systematically reviewed in this paper.Moreover,prospect of addressing related problems that recently emerge in the quest of G.blacki is discussed,such as the identity of the“mystery ape”,the Pliocene gap lying in the fossil record of southern China.These issues are critical to understand the potential early Homo’s migration into China.It is worth mentioning that the academic community still considered Asia as the cradle of humankind until 1980s.It was the discovery of so many Pliocene to Early Pleistocene Australopithecus and early Homo fossils in Africa since 1950s that led to the paradigm shift concerning where the hominin clade first arose.Unfortunately,the“mystery ape”from the karst region of southern China is still mysterious.We don’t know whether it should be pl

关 键 词：步氏巨猿 人科 神秘古猿 范式转换 上新世间断 

分 类 号：Q983[生物学—人类学]