Dr. T. Tóth szerk.: Studia historico-anthropologica (Anthropologia Hungarica 20. Budapest, 1988)
ANTHROPOLOGIC H U N C ARICA A bst ra ct. This paper contains a comparative morphological analysis of the 10 myrs old Rudapithecus hungaricus (Rudabánya) and on the 7 myrs old Sivapithecus lufengensis (Lufeng) skull finds. The skull finds registered as RUD-77 and P.A. 677 show considerable similarity in the cerebral regions while there are basic morphological differences in the characteristics of the facial parts of the skulls. These similarities and differences between the two skulls also reveal the relation between the taxa Rudapithecus hungaricus and Sivapithecus lufengensis. With 2 tables, 1 list and 7 figures. The Rudapithecus skull from Rudabánya and that of Sivapithecus lufengensis found at Lufeng are distinguished finds even among the important bone and teeth remains representing the process of early prehominization. At Rudabánya (NE Hungary) the ape remains were found in 10 million years old (Lower Pannonian = Late Miocene, Early Vallesian MN 9 zone) lignite and clay layers which had deposited in a contemporary swamp (KORDOS, 1982, 1985). The first finds were discovered in 1967. Until the autumn of 1987 eighty primate findassociations had been found (KRETZOI 1969, 1974, 1975, 1976a, b, 1984: KRETZOI al., 1976, MORBECK 1983; KORDOS 1987a, b), labelled as "RUD" and with serial numbers ranging from 1 to 80 (List 1). On the basis of our present knowledge the author's opinion is that the Rudabánya locality yielded two kinds of early primates, namely Pliopithecus hernyaki KRETZOI and Rudapithecus hungaricus KRETZOI (KORDOS 1987b). The 7-8 million years old (Middle Baodian = Late Miocene, Middle Turolian, MN 12 Zone) layers at the site Lufeng in Southern China had deposited in a valley. Just as in Rudabánya, grey clay layers alternate in this locality with lignite stripes (QI GUOQIN 1985, CHENG WANYOUNG 1986). During the 9 excavation campaigns between 1975 and 1983, five skull fragments, 10 mandibles, 49 skull and mandible fragments, 28 toothrows, 650 isolated teeth, two knuckles, one scapula and one clavicle were found (WU RUKANG ," al. 1986). According to Chinese experts, certain Lufeng finds, earlier reffered to Sivapithecus yu nnanensis belong to male apes while the other ones, earlier referred to Ramapithec us lufengen_sis_, are the remains of female animals. Therefore recently the name Sivapithecus lufengens is has been used for both taxa (WU RUKANG & al. 1986). Because of the differences between the Lufeng finds and the genus Sivapithecus, the introduction of a new generic name has recently been suggested (WU RUKANG, pers. comm. October 1987). The remains found at the localities Rudabánya and Lufeng have special importance in the study of the process of prehominization in Eurasia because so far they are the only sites to yield skulls (Fig. 1, for measurements see Table 1). In the autumn of 1987 I had the opportunity to spend one month in China within the scope of a cooperation programme between the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources (Beijing) and the (Central Geological Institute, Budapest), when I studied the original Chinese finds, especially the skulls and mandibles of female apes. I visited the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of Academica Sinica and consulted with several XX. 1988 p. 9-22 By L. KORDOS (Received November 16, 1987)
