广西西部新发现的猩猩牙齿化石及其分类演化意义

doi:10.16359/j.1000-3193/AAS.2026.0013

摘要/Abstract

摘要：

牙齿化石的形态特征分析对于构建猩猩的系统分类与演化框架具有重要意义。但是，中国南方地区的猩猩化石在此方面还未开展过相关研究工作。本文报道了发现于广西壮族自治区百色市田东县独山上洞遗址新发现的64颗猩猩牙齿化石。通过对其上颌前臼齿与臼齿的形态性状进行编码，并采用对应分析和层次聚类分析的方法，我们将该标本与越南北部谅山猿属（Langsonia）、猩猩属（Pongo）化石以及现生猩猩（P. pygmaeus）进行了比较，结果表明，独山上洞标本的形态变异范围不仅超过了越南北部的相关类群，也与现生猩猩存在显著区别。结合牙齿化石尺寸与地质年代，我们将独山上洞猩猩标本归入魏氏猩猩（P. weidenreichi）。未来更多的牙齿化石形态性状评分和分析工作将进一步完善中国南方猩猩化石的分类体系和系统演化关系。

关键词: 猩猩, 独山上洞, 中更新世, 分类和演化, 对应分析

Abstract:

Analysis of the morphological characteristics of dental fossils is crucial for reconstructing the phylogenetic classification and evolutionary framework of orangutans. However, the fossil orangutan specimens from southern China have not been subjected to such research in this regard. This paper reports newly discovered orangutan teeth from the Dushanshang Cave site. Using morphological analysis methods for dental fossils, it attempts to construct a systematic classification and evolutionary framework for orangutans.

The Dushanshang Cave site is located in Yonglong Village, Linfeng Town, Tiandong County, Baise City, in the western part of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The cave entrance faces northwest. Inside, the cave is 1~5 m wide and approximately 55 m long. The cave runs east-west overall. The entrance sits at an elevation of 236 meters above sea level, with the ground level outside the entrance approximately 16 m below. In 2012, the Guangxi Natural History Museum collaborated with the Tiandong County Museum to excavate this cave site. Prior to systematic excavation, researchers established Test Pit T1 approximately 50 meters from the cave entrance based on the preservation and distribution of deposits at Dushanshang Cave. After clearing disturbed surface deposits, excavation proceeded in 10-centimeter horizontal layers from top to bottom. Sediments from each layer were systematically collected and dry-sieved outside the cave using a 4 mm mesh to recover smaller fossils. The final excavation depth of T1 approximately 130 cm.

In addition to orangutan fossils, over 500 mammal tooth fossils were discovered at Dushanshang Cave. Representative mammal species include the Ailuropoda milanoleuea daconi, Stegodon orientalis, Elephas maximus and Megatapirus augustus. Based on comparisons with mammal faunas from different periods of the Quaternary in southern China, the Dushanshang Cave mammal assemblage has been tentatively dated to the Late Middle Pleistocene.

By encoding the morphological traits of the upper premolars and molars and employing correspondence analysis combined with classical hierarchical cluster analysis, we compared orangutan specimens from the Dushanshang Cave with fossils of the genus Langsonia and Pongo from northern Vietnam, as well as with extant P. pygmaeus. The results indicate that the morphological variation range of the Dushanshang Cave specimens not only exceeds that of the relevant groups from northern Vietnam but also shows significant distinctions from extant orangutans. Considering their dental dimensions and geological age, we assign them to P. weidenreichi. Further scoring and analysis of morphological traits from additional dental fossils will help refine the classification system and clarify the evolutionary relationships of orangutan fossils in southern China.

Key words: Pongo, Dushanshang Cave, Middle Pleistocene, classification and evolution, correspondence analysis

中图分类号:

Q915

王思元, 李金燕, 梁华, 谢耀樟, 廖卫, 王伟. 广西西部新发现的猩猩牙齿化石及其分类演化意义[J]. 人类学学报, 2026, 45(02): 224-235.

WANG Siyuan, LI Jinyan, LIANG Hua, XIE Yaozhang, LIAO Wei, WANG Wei. Newly discovered orangutan fossils from western Guangxi and their taxonomic and evolutionary significance[J]. Acta Anthropologica Sinica, 2026, 45(02): 224-235.

图/表 7

图1 广西独山上洞及其周边猩猩化石点的地理位置图（审图号：桂S（2024）41号） 1.感仙洞Ganxian Cave；2.中山洞Zhongshan Cave；3.大新黑洞Daxin Hei Cave；4.芭仙洞Baxian Cave；5.宜村洞Yicun Cave；6.百孔洞Baikong Cave；7.三合洞Sanhe Cave；8.巨猿洞Juyuan Cave；9.缺缺洞Queque Cave；10.智人洞Zhiren Cave；11.双潭洞Shuangtan Cave；12.一线天洞Yixiantian Cave；13.咁前洞Ganqian Cave

Fig.1 Geographic location of the Dushan Shangdong site and surrounding ape fossil sites in Guangxi

图2 广西独山上洞遗址地貌、堆积物及平面图 A. 独山上洞外景Landscape of the Dushanshang Cave；B, C. 探方T1东壁地层剖面 Stratigraphic profile of the east side of T1；D. 独山上洞平面图Plan of the Dushanshang Cave

Fig.2 Landscape, deposits and plan of Dushanshang Cave site, Guangxi

图3 广西独山上洞代表性猩猩牙齿化石 1. 右right I2，DSS4-011；2.左left P3，DSS6-002；3.右right P4，DSS4-003；4.左left P4，DSS4-001；5.右right M1，DSS6-001；6.左left M2，DSS4-010；7.左left M3，DSS4-021；8.左left C，DSS2-003；9.左left i1，DSS4-018；10.右right c，DSS6-005；11.右right i2，DSS5-003；12.右right i2，DSS2-009；13.左left p3，DSS4-002；14.左left dp3，DSS2-052；15.右right p4，DSS3-004；16.左left p4，DSS5-012；17.右right m1，DSS3-007；18.右right m2，DSS5-007；19.左left m3，DSS2-001；20.左left m3，DSS4-004

Fig.3 Representative permanent and deciduous teeth of fossil Pongo from Dushanshang Cave, Guangxi

图4 上颌第四前臼齿标本的对应分析 P. weidenreichi来自独山上洞。其余标本参考Cameron et al. [30]，具体信息如下：独山上洞P. weidenreichi (DSS)，现生猩猩P. pygmaeus (PM, PF)，P. ciochoni (Làng Tráng, LTC285b, LTC285c, LTC285e)，P. nguyenbinheri (Làng Tráng, LTC285a, LTC285d, LTC285f, LTC285g；Dieu Rockshelter, DC-D-58)，P. devosi (Hang Hùm, HH54, HH1)，P. grovesei (Kéo Lèng, KL-66-271, KL-66-A)，P. fromageti (Thẩm Ồm, TOa)，Langsonia (Thẩm Khuyên, TK65-162, TK65-166)

Fig.4 Correspondence analysis of P4 specimens

图5 上颌第一臼齿标本的对应分析 P. weidenreichi来自独山上洞。其余标本参考Cameron et al.[30]，具体信息如下：独山上洞P. weidenreichi (DSS)，现生猩猩P. pygmaeus (PM, PF)，P. ciochoni (Làng Tráng, LTC-6, LTC-b, LTC-27, LTCd)，P. devosi (Hang Hùm, HH-38)，P. grovesei (Kéo Lèng, KL-66-271, KL-66-A)，P. fromageti (Thẩm Ồm, TO-013, TO-89)，Langsonia (Thẩm Khuyên, TK65-34A)

Fig.5 Correspondence analysis of M1 specimens

图6 上颌第二臼齿标本的对应分析 P. weidenreichi来自独山上洞。其余标本参考Cameron et al.[30]，具体信息如下：独山上洞P. weidenreichi (DSS)，现生猩猩P. pygmaeus (PM, PF)，P. ciochoni (Làng Tráng, LTC-c), P. fromageti (Thẩm Ồm, 77-TO-A), Langsonia (Thẩm Khuyên, TK65-112, TK65-51, TK65-135, TK65-59, TK65-136)

Fig.6 Correspondence analysis of M2 specimens

图7 上颌第三臼齿标本的对应分析 P. weidenreichi来自独山上洞。其余标本参考Cameron et al.[30]，具体信息如下：独山上洞P. weidenreichi (DSS)，现生猩猩P. pygmaeus (PM, PF)， P. ciochoni (Làng Tráng, LTC285a, LTC285b, LTC285c)， P. grovesei (Kéo Lèng, KL-66-271)，P. fromageti (Thẩm Ồm, TO-20)，Langsonia (Thẩm Khuyên, TK65-10, TK65-40)

Fig.7 Correspondence analysis of M3 specimens

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