title: Suid evolution and correlation of African hominid localities.
abstract: Recently discovered Plio-Pleistocene vertebrate assemblages have allowed complete systematic revision of the sub-Saharan African Suidae. New phylogenies are proposed for the 7 genera and 16 species of fossil and extant representatives. Suids are common elements of African Plio-Pleistocene faunas, and their evolutionary trends, particularly in the species Mesochoerus limnetes and Metridiochoerus andrewsi, are of great correlative value. Suid data are employed in a refinement of stratigraphic correlations at Omo Shungura, Olduvai, and east of Lake Turkana (formerly East Rudolf) and in a correlation of East African and South African sites, with important implications for interpretation of hominid evolution. The suid record also bears significantly on questions of theoretical evolutionary biology.
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D000818:Animals; D001188:Artiodactyla; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003817:Dentition; D005580:Fossils; D005844:Geology; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008963:Molar; D010161:Paleodontology; D010163:Paleontology; D010802:Phylogeny