Although Neandertals are the best-known fossil hominins, the tempo and evolutionary processes in their lineage are strongly debated. This is in part due to the scarcity of the fossil record, in particular before the marine isotopic stage (MIS) 5. In 2010, a partial hominin mandible was discovered at the Middle Paleolithic site of Payre (France) in a layer that is dated to the end of MIS 8/beginning of MIS 7, a time period for which very few fossils are known in Europe. The Payre 15 mandible retains the complete symphyseal region and right lateral corpus with heavily worn P4, M1, and M2 in situ. Taphonomic modifications in the form of three notches suggest that this individual was chewed by a carnivore. We provide here the first detailed description of this specimen and a comparative analysis that includes morphological features, linear mandibular dimensions, an elliptic Fourier analysis of the symphysis, and a morphometric analysis of the M1 roots (based on segmented CT scan data). Our comparative sample encompasses European Middle and Upper Pleistocene specimens attributed to Homo heidelbergensis and Homo neanderthalensis, Upper Pleistocene Homo sapiens, and Holocene Homo sapiens. The Payre 15 mandible shows a combination of primitive and Neandertal-like features, with a receding symphyseal profile without any element of the mentum osseum, a posterior location of the mental foramen and lateral prominence. Its mandibular body is tall and thick anteriorly. Payre 15 has mesotaurodont M1 roots and a three-rooted M2. By its dimensions and combination of features, Payre 15 aligns better with Middle Pleistocene European hominins than with MIS 6-3 Neandertals. Noteworthy, it falls well within the range of variation of the Sima de los Huesos sample. Our results underscore that the total pattern of Neandertal-derived morphology was not achieved at the beginning of the MIS 7 and suggest a low level of mandibular diachronic changes for the period MIS 11-7.

中文翻译：

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佩尔（法国阿德什）的中更新世人类下颌骨。

尽管尼安德特人是最著名的化石人称素，但人们对其血统和进化过程的争论却很激烈。这部分是由于化石记录的稀缺，尤其是在海洋同位素阶段（MIS）5之前。2010年，在Payre（法国）的中古石器时代遗址中发现了一个过时的下颌骨下颌骨。到MIS 8结束/ MIS 7开始为止，这段时间在欧洲很少有化石知道。Payre 15下颌骨保留了完整的干sym区和右侧and体，并且原位磨损严重的P4，M1和M2。三个缺口形式的音调修饰表明此人被食肉动物咀嚼。我们在此提供了该标本的第一份详细说明以及包括形态特征的比较分析，线性的下颌骨尺寸，椭圆形的共骨分析和M1根的形态分析（基于分段CT扫描数据）。我们的比较样本包括归因于海德堡人和尼安德特人，上更新世智人和全新世智人的欧洲中上更新世标本。Payre 15的下颌骨表现出原始特征和尼安德特人特征的组合，具有后牙骨轮廓的消退，没有骨骨的任何元素，后牙孔的位置和侧凸。下颌体前高而厚。Payre 15具有mesotaurodont M1根和三根M2。通过其尺寸和功能的组合，Payre 15与中更新世的欧洲人种比MIS 6-3尼安德特人更好。值得注意的是 它恰好在Sima de los Huesos样本的变化范围内。我们的研究结果强调，在MIS 7的开始阶段并没有实现尼安德特人形态的总体模式，这表明在MIS 11-7时期下颌的历时性变化较低。