Despite a steady increase in our understanding of the phenotypic variation of Pleistocene Homo, debate continues over phylogenetically informative features. One such trait is the suprainiac fossa, a depression on the occipital bone above inion that is commonly considered an autapomorphy of the Neanderthal lineage. Challenging this convention, depressions in the suprainiac region have also been described for two Pleistocene hominin crania from sub-Saharan Africa: Eyasi I (Tanzania) and ADU-VP-1/3 (Ethiopia). Here, we use a combined quantitative and qualitative approach, using μCT imaging, to investigate the occipital depressions on these specimens. The results show that neither the external nor the internal morphologies of these depressions bear any resemblance to the Neanderthal condition. A principal component analysis based on multiple thickness measurements along the occipital squama demonstrates that the relative thickness values for the internal structures in Eyasi I and ADU-VP-1/3 are within the range of Homo sapiens. Thus, our results support the autapomorphic status of the Neanderthal suprainiac fossa and highlight the need to use nuanced approaches and multiple lines of evidence.

尽管我们对更新世同质表型变异的了解稳步增长，关于系统发育信息功能的争论仍在继续。这样的特征之一就是上唇窝，即洋葱上方枕骨上的凹陷，通常被认为是穴居人的尼安德特人血统。挑战这一惯例，还描述了来自撒哈拉以南非洲的两个更新世人源性颅骨萎缩症在上流产区的洼地：Eyasi I（坦桑尼亚）和ADU-VP-1 / 3（埃塞俄比亚）。在这里，我们使用定量和定性相结合的方法，使用μCT成像技术来研究这些标本的枕骨凹陷。结果表明，这些凹陷的外部或内部形态都与尼安德特人的情况没有任何相似之处。智人。因此，我们的研究结果支持穴居人尼安德特人上古窝的自然形态，并强调需要使用细微差别的方法和多条证据。