Makapania broomi Wells and Cooke, 1956

Brophy, Juliet K., de Ruiter, Darryl J., Fortelius, Mikael, Bamford, Marion & Berger, Lee R., 2016, Pleistocene Bovidae (Mammalia) from Malapa, Gauteng Province, South Africa, Palaeontologia Electronica 35 (8), pp. 1-22 : 4-6

Makapania broomi Wells and Cooke, 1956

Material. Two specimens represent Makapania broomi at Malapa. UW 88-929 from Block B 025 consists of a distorted partial skull with complete left and right maxillary dentition and right mandibular dentition ( Figure 1 ). Specimen UW 88-797 is a maxillary fragment with a right M 1 and M 2 ( Figure 2 ) .

Description. Both specimens are hypsodont, demonstrate simple central cavities where exposed, and v-shaped mesial lobes characteristic of Makapania broomi ( Table 3) ( Wells and Cooke, 1956). The maxillary teeth also possess large central infundibula and lack basal pillars. The right mandibular dentition of UW 88-929 consists of broken enamel outline and roots of P 2, and P 3, P 4, M 1, M 2, and M 3. No goat fold or basal pillars are evident though Brink (1999) states that the absence of goat folds is not unusual. Results of the typicality probability from EFFA were too low to help identify this specimen to a taxonomic group; this result is likely due to the fact that no Ovibovini tribe members are in the reference sample ( Brophy, 2011).

Comparisons. The Malapa specimens were compared with the type specimen, M 162, and specimen M 8227 of Makapania broomi from Makapansgat housed at the University of Witwatersrand. Makapania cf. broomi specimens from Sterkfontein Member 4 including STS 1721, STS 2059, and STS 1564 were also studied at the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History. The Malapa specimens overlap in size and shape with the Makapansgat and Sterkfontein materials.

The Malapa specimens were also compared to Makapania sp. specimens from the Gladysvale Extension Site (GVED) (e.g., GV 5288, GV 8266, GV 8410) and via photographs and measurements to the cf. Makapania sp. fossils from Swartkrans (SK) Members 1 including SK 3005, SK 3123, and 3150 ( Vrba, 1976; Brain, 1981; Lacruz et al., 2002). The SK and GVED fossils are slightly

BROPHY: BOVIDAE FROM MALAPA smaller than M. broomi but maintain the morphological characteristics outlined in Wells and Cooke (1956). The Malapa bovid specimens are bigger than the SK and GVED specimens and consistent in size and shape with Makapansgat M. broomi .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Anterior (left) and lateral (right) view of UW 88-929, Makapania broomi.

FIGURE 2. UW 88-797 maxillary fragment with a right M1 and M2.