The Olduvai buffalo<i>Pelorovis</i>and the origin of<i>Bos</i>

Abstract

Abstract The origin of the genus Bos is a debated issue. From ∼ 0.5 Ma until historic times, the genus is well known in the Eurasian large mammal assemblages, where it is represented by Bos primigenius . This species has a highly derived cranial anatomy that shows important morphological differences from other Plio-Pleistocene Eurasian genera of the tribe Bovini such as Leptobos , Bison , Proamphibos-Hemibos , and Bubalus . The oldest clear evidence of Bos is the skull fragment ASB-198-1 from the middle Pleistocene (∼ 0.6–0.8 Ma) site of Asbole (Lower Awash Valley, Ethiopia). The first appearance of Bos in Europe is at the site of Venosa-Notarchirico, Italy (∼ 0.5–0.6 Ma). Although the origin of Bos has traditionally been connected with Leptobos and Bison , after a detailed anatomical and morphometric study we propose here a different origin, connecting the middle Pleistocene Eurasian forms of B. primigenius with the African Late Pliocene and early Pleistocene large size member of the tribe Bovini Pelorovis sensu stricto . The dispersal of the Bos lineage in Western Europe during middle Pleistocene times seems to coincide with the arrival of the Acheulean tool technology in this continent.