title: Neandertal postcranial remains from the Sima de las Palomas del Cabezo Gordo, Murcia, southeastern Spain.
abstract: The Sima de las Palomas, southeastern Spain, has yielded a series of Neandertal postcranial remains, including immature and mature isolated elements and the fragmentary partial skeleton of a young adult (Palomas 92). The remains largely conform to the general late archaic/Neandertal morphological pattern in terms of humeral diaphyseal shape, pectoralis major tuberosity size and pillar thickness, ulnar coronoid process height, manual middle phalangeal epiphyseal breadth, manual distal phalangeal tuberosity shape and breadth, femoral diaphyseal shape, and probably body proportions. Palomas 92 contrasts with the Neandertals in having variably gracile hand remains, a more sellar trapezial metacarpal 1 facet, more anteroposteriorly expanded mid-proximal femoral diaphysis, and less robust pedal proximal phalanges. The Palomas Neandertals contrast with more northern European Neandertals particularly in various reflections of overall body size.
authors.affiliation: Área de Antropología Física, Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Facultad de Biología, Campus Universitario de Espinardo, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.forename: Mariano V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: Klára
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Parmová
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Trinkaus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size; D050281:Bones of Lower Extremity / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D001133:Bones of Upper Extremity / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005580:Fossils; D015186:Hominidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D013030:Spain