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International audience; Homo naledi skeletal material described from the Dinaledi Chamber, Rising Star System, in the Cradle of Humankind , South Africa, includes upper limb material with remarkably ape-like morphology occurring in the context of a distinctly modern human-like lower limb, foot, and hand. Here we describe upper limb specimens from a new fossil hominin site within the Rising Star System, the Lesedi Chamber (Site U.W. 102), including an intact clavicle and a well-preserved proximal humerus and proximal ulna. Craniodental remains, in association with the postcranial elements described here, have been attributed to H. naledi. The upper limb material from the Lesedi Chamber is gracile and resembles the upper limb material from the Dinaledi Chamber in overall morphology. The primitive humeral morphology of the Dinaledi material is replicated within the Lesedi material. The fossils from the Lesedi Chamber material also preserve additional humeral morphology not represented in the Dinaledi Chamber, providing new information on humeral form in this species. Three-dimensional geometric morpho-metric analysis of the Lesedi proximal humerus demonstrates affinities with the humeri of Pan and Australopithe-cus. The complete clavicle from Lesedi is similarly primitive, supporting previous interpretations of the H. naledi shoulder as being more superiorly positioned than modern humans, and closer to the hypothesized australopith condition. The ulna is gracile, with a mediolaterally narrow olecranon process and anterior-facing trochlear notch similar to the derived state suggested for other fossil hominins. These new findings support the interpretation of overhead reaching and climbing behaviors having continued relevance in the locomotor repertoire of Homo naledi and provide a clearer picture of the upper limb morphology of this species.

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8th Plenary Meeting of the European-Huntingtons-Disease-Network, Barcelona, SPAIN, SEP 19-21, 2014; International audience; no abstract

Ce travail présente les résultats préliminaires d’une étude sur les structures claviculaires internes, par l’intermédiaire du scanner à rayon X. La morphologie complexe de cet os rend impossible la détermination d’un plan de coupe similaire et reproductible d’un individu à l’autre et interdit ainsi toute analyse classique des données scanographiques bidimensionnelles. Nous proposons un protocole inédit permettant de quantifier de manière précise et répétitive les variations volumiques en trois dimensions des structures morphologiques internes des clavicules. Celles-ci sont dissociées en trois ensembles distincts (structures osseuses denses, structures osseuses peu denses et porosité) en fonction de leur densité radiologique. Les premiers résultats montrent que les structures osseuses denses sont représentées par un volume plus important que les structures osseuses peu denses. De plus, les clavicules de chimpanzé sont caractérisées par un volume relatif des structures osseuses denses plus important que chez les gorilles et les hommes. Ceci s’exprime, entre autres, chez un quart des chimpanzés, par une absence des structures osseuses peu denses au point d’inflexion de la courbure acromiale. Ces différences peuvent être interprétées comme des adaptations aux contraintes subies par les clavicules. This study presents the preliminary results of an examination of internal clavicular structures using CT scan data analysis. The complex morphology of this bone makes the determination of a reproducible CT slice plane impossible and so any classical analysis of the two-dimensional CT data is ruled out. We propose a new protocol which enables quantification in three dimensions of the variations in volume of the internal morphological structures of the clavicles. These are divided into three distinct groups (porosity, low density structures and high density structures) according to their radiological density. The first results show that the high density structures are represented by a larger volume than the low density structures. Moreover, chimpanzee clavicles are characterized by a relative volume of high density bone structure superior to that of gorillas and humans. For a quarter of chimpanzees, this is characterized by an absence of low density structures at the inflexion point of the acromial curvature. These differences can be interpreted as adaptations to the strains to which the clavicles are subjected.

A list is presented of 126 names applied to Asian forms of nuthatch and wallcreeper species (family Sittidae) and of treecreeper and spotted creeper species (family Certhiidae). This list provides information on the whereabouts of type specimens. Where our information does not include reliable data we provide notes to explain the deficit and to stimulate others to offer additional data or sources of information. A lectotype is designated for Sitta frontalis Swainson, 1820.

A list of about 35 names applied to species of iora (family Aegithinidae) is presented. This list also provides information on the whereabouts of a type. Where our information does not include reliable data we provide notes to explain the deficit and to stimulate others to offer additional data or sources of information.

The type-series of Sitta sinensis Verreaux, 1871, included two specimens now housed in the collections of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (MNHN), Paris, which belong to two different taxa, Sitta sinensis and Sitta montium La Touche, 1899, one currently known as S. europaea sinensis Verreaux and the other usually treated as a synonym of S. nagaensis nagaensis Godwin-Austin, 1874. Lectotypes are selected for S. sinensis Verreaux, 1871 and S. montium La Touche, 1899.

A list of 126 names applied to Asian forms of species of pitta (Family Pittidae) is provided, with information on the whereabouts of type-specimens. Where our information does not include reliable data we provide notes to explain the deficit and to stimulate others to offer additional data or sources of information.