L R Godfrey
Biographic Data
| ID | 7948 |
|---|---|
| NAME | L R Godfrey |
| GIVEN NAMES | L R |
| FAMILY NAME | Godfrey |
| SIGNATURE | GODFREY L R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Massachusetts Amherst |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9997-0207 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 67 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 649 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 69 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1977 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 16 |
A speleothem record of hydroclimate variability in northwestern Madagascar during the mid-late Holocene
We present a continuous high-resolution precisely dated multiproxy record of hydroclimate variability at Anjohibe cave in northwestern Madagascar using speleothem AB13. The record spans from ~4484 y BP to ~2863 y BP. Stalagmite δ 18 O, δ 13 C and Sr/Ca ratios show very similar changes in hydroclimate. The mechanism controlling Sr/Ca changes, however, from prior calcite precipitation to degree of dolomite dissolution at about 4 ky BP. Our record i…
In memoriam
William L. Jungers, a gentle giant in Madagascar
The authors have nothing to report
Subfossil lemur discoveries from the Beanka Protected Area in western Madagascar
A new fossil site in a previously unexplored part of western Madagascar (the Beanka Protected Area) has yielded remains of many recently extinct vertebrates, including giant lemurs ( Babakotia radofilai , Palaeopropithecus kelyus , Pachylemur sp., and Archaeolemur edwardsi ), carnivores ( Cryptoprocta spelea ), the aardvark-like Plesiorycteropus sp., and giant ground cuckoos ( Coua ). Many of these represent considerable range extensions. Extant …
Evidence for early human arrival in Madagascar is robust
The colonization period of a given region can be defined by multiple types of evidence, including human bone records, environmental proxy signals in sediment cores, human-made artifacts, or anthrop
A new interpretation of Madagascar's megafaunal decline
The befuddling nature of mouse lemur hands and feet at Bezà Mahafaly, SW Madagascar
The reddish-gray mouse lemur (Microcebus griseorufus) possesses striking phenotypic and behavioral variation. This project investigates differences in autopod proportions in neighboring populations of M. griseorufus from the Special Reserve at Bezà Mahafaly in southwest Madagascar. One population resides in an environment generally preferred by M. griseorufus-a spiny forest with large-trunked trees, vertically-oriented supports, and more open gro…
Predation on Subfossil Prolemur simus by Multiple Predator Species at Ankarana Massif, Northern Madagascar
Elwyn Simons
What did Hadropithecus eat, and why should paleoanthropologists care
Over 40 years ago, Clifford Jolly noted different ways in which Hadropithecus stenognathus converged in its craniodental anatomy with basal hominins and with geladas. The Malagasy subfossil lemur Hadropithecus departs from its sister taxon, Archaeolemur, in that it displays comparatively large molars, reduced incisors and canines, a shortened rostrum, and thickened mandibular corpus. Its molars, however, look nothing like those of basal hominins;…
Unpredictable environments, opportunistic responses
Small-bodied, nocturnal mouse lemurs (Microcebus) are widespread across diverse forest habitats in Madagascar. They are strict seasonal breeders and can, depending on the habitat and species, undergo daily or prolonged torpor to minimize energy expenditure during periods of food and water scarcity. Duration of reproduction, number of litters per season and timing of births vary across individuals and species. The "polyestry-seasonality" hypothesi…
Giant subfossil lemur graveyard discovered, submerged, in Madagascar
Comparative and population mitogenomic analyses of Madagascar's extinct, giant 'subfossil' lemurs
Stable isotopes complement focal individual observations and confirm dietary variability in reddish–gray mouse lemurs ( Microcebus griseorufus ) from southwestern Madagascar
We examine the ecology of reddish‐gray mouse lemurs from three habitats at Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve using focal follows and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data. Focal observations indicate dietary differences among habitats as well as sexes and seasons. Both sexes consume more arthropods during the rainy season but overall, females consume more sugar‐rich exudates and fruit than males, and individuals from riparian forest consume fewer a…
Dental topography indicates ecological contraction of lemur communities
Understanding the paleoecology of extinct subfossil lemurs requires reconstruction of dietary preferences. Tooth morphology is strongly correlated with diet in living primates and is appropriate for inferring dietary ecology. Recently, dental topographic analysis has shown great promise in reconstructing diet from molar tooth form. Compared with traditionally used shearing metrics, dental topography is better suited for the extraordinary diversit…
Morphometrics and pattern of growth in wild sifakas ( Propithecus edwardsi ) at ranomafana national park, madagascar
We summarize morphometric data collected over a period of 22 years from a natural population of rainforest sifakas ( Propithecus edwardsi ) at Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar, and we use those data to document patterns of growth and development. Individually identified, known‐age sifakas were successfully captured, measured, and released. We found that body segment lengths increased faster during growth than did body mass, with individuals a…
A glance to the past
The Spiny Thicket Ecoregion (STE) of Southern and southwestern Madagascar was recently home to numerous giant lemurs and other “megafauna,” including pygmy hippopotamuses, giant tortoises, elephant birds, and large euplerid carnivores. Following the arrival of humans more than 2,000 years ago, dramatic extinctions occurred. Only one‐third of the lemur species which earlier occupied the STE survive today; other taxa suffered even greater losses. W…
Lemurs Galore
Subchondral Bone Apparent Density and Locomotor Behavior in Extant Primates and Subfossil Lemurs Hadropithecus and Pachylemur
Life history space”
Studies of primate life history variation are constrained by the fact that all large‐bodied extant primates are haplorhines. However, large‐bodied strepsirrhines recently existed. If we can extract life history information from their skeletons, these species can contribute to our understanding of primate life history variation. This is particularly important in light of new critiques of the classic “fast‐slow continuum” as a descriptor of variati…
Dental microwear texture analysis of two families of subfossil lemurs from Madagascar
A comparison of salivary pH in sympatric wild lemurs ( Lemur catta and Propithecus verreauxi ) at Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar
Chemical deterioration of teeth is common among modern humans, and has been suggested for some extinct primates. Dental erosion caused by acidic foods may also obscure microwear signals of mechanical food properties. Ring‐tailed lemurs at the Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve (BMSR), Madagascar, display frequent severe tooth wear and subsequent tooth loss. In contrast, sympatric Verreaux's sifaka display far less tooth wear and infrequent tooth loss,…
Evidence of Invasive Felis silvestris Predation on Propithecus verreauxi at Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar
From the shoulders of a giant
William White Howells was one of the intellectual giants of the discipline of biological anthropology during the twentieth century. He was a devoted student of Earnest A. Hooton; yet he played a central role in directing the discipline away from the typological thinking that infused the work of his predecessor, and toward the population perspective that characterizes the field today. An original and productive scholar with diverse interests, his …
New hand bones of Hadropithecus stenognathus
Biology and Body Size in Human Evolution
The Early Hominid Plant-Food Niche
African plant-food genera exploited by Homo, Pan, and Papio have been catalogued and analyzed to provide an estimation of the size and composition of the fundamental plant-food niche of the early hominids. Results to date include recognition of more than 100 widely distributed African plant genera which are the best known candidates for plant-food exploitation by the Plio/Pleistocene hominids of eastern and southern Africa. An analysis of staples…
Ontogenetic correlates of diet in Malagasy lemurs
There is a well-documented relationship between development and other life-history parameters among anthropoid primates. Smaller-bodied anthropoids tend to mature more rapidly than do larger-bodied species. Among anthropoids of similar body sizes, folivorous species tend to grow and mature more quickly than do frugivorous species, thus attaining adult body size at an earlier age. This pattern conforms to the expectations of Janson and van Schaik'…
Adaptive diversification of Malagasy strepsirrhines
Can low-magnification stereomicroscopy reveal diet
Sexual dimorphism in large‐bodied primates
Large body size has evolved repeatedly in the order Primates, not merely among anthropoids but also among prosimians. Whereas high degrees of sexual size dimorphism characterize many of the large‐bodied anthropoids, this is not the case for extinct large‐bodied lemurs. This paper uses finite mixture analysis and other techniques to ascertain just how much skull length dimorphism might be embedded in the generally unimodal distributions of skull l…
Limb joint surface areas and their ratios in Malagasy lemurs and other mammals
Surface areas of humeral and femoral heads scale largely as a function of body size. However, differences in the relative sizes of these articular surfaces are correlated with differential joint mobility and force transmission through fore‐ and hindlimbs. They can therefore assist interpretation of the positional behavior of extinct species. In this paper, we document variation in ratios of humeral head surface area to femoral head surface area a…
Paradox of peramorphic paedomorphosis
This paper reviews Gould's clock model for heterochronic processes and uses that model to develop simple matrix representations of growth and shape change. Matrix representations of growth and development provide a common formulation for all heterochronic processes. In particular, we show how neoteny can be diagnosed using such a matrix approach. The literature is rife with contradictory representations of how neoteny affects growth allometries a…
Dental development in Megaladapis edwardsi (Primates, Lemuriformes)
Dental use wear in extinct lemurs
New Insights into Old Lemurs
Evidence of early butchery of giant lemurs in Madagascar
Dental microwear texture analysis of two families of subfossil lemurs from Madagascar
Morphometric analysis of lumbar vertebrae in extinct Malagasy strepsirrhines
Previous research on subfossil lemurs has revealed much about the positional behavior of these extinct strepsirrhines, but a thorough quantitative analysis of their vertebral form and function has not been performed. In this study, 156 lumbar vertebrae of Pachylemur , Archaeolemur , Megaladapis , Mesopropithecus , Babakotia , and Palaeopropithecus (11 species in all) were compared to those of 26 species of extant strepsirrhines and haplorhines. L…
Dental topography indicates ecological contraction of lemur communities
Understanding the paleoecology of extinct subfossil lemurs requires reconstruction of dietary preferences. Tooth morphology is strongly correlated with diet in living primates and is appropriate for inferring dietary ecology. Recently, dental topographic analysis has shown great promise in reconstructing diet from molar tooth form. Compared with traditionally used shearing metrics, dental topography is better suited for the extraordinary diversit…
Adaptive and phylogenetic significance of ontogenetic sequences in Archaeolemur, subfossil lemur from Madagascar
Size, space, and adaptation in some subfossil lemurs from Madagascar
We examine several explanations for the geographic pattern of body size variation exhibited by the subfossil lemur Archaeolemur . Part and partial correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis are applied in a stepwise, hierarchical fashion to help to determine variables interdependencies. Variance in site menas for body size is best explained by the richness of the plant community and by several correlated climatic variables (bioclimatic…
A new interpretation of Madagascar's megafaunal decline
What's growth got to do with it? Process and product in the evolution of ontogeny
Comparative and population mitogenomic analyses of Madagascar's extinct, giant 'subfossil' lemurs
The hands and feet of Archaeolemur
The nature and origins of primate species
The living world has genetic discontinuity in it, and morphological discontinuity as well. Patterns of these discontinuities overlap to a large extent. When they do, species discrimination is unambiguous. But directly at the point of cladogenesis, there are parallel sets of processes occurring, which result in patterns that can be difficult to reconcile in a single term such as speciation. Primate “species,” living and extinct, exhibit various de…
Discovery of new giant subfossil lemurs in the Ankarana Mountains of Northern Madagascar
Life history space”
Studies of primate life history variation are constrained by the fact that all large‐bodied extant primates are haplorhines. However, large‐bodied strepsirrhines recently existed. If we can extract life history information from their skeletons, these species can contribute to our understanding of primate life history variation. This is particularly important in light of new critiques of the classic “fast‐slow continuum” as a descriptor of variati…
Evidence of Invasive Felis silvestris Predation on Propithecus verreauxi at Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar
On 'Some Paleolithic Tools from Northeast North America
On Criticisms of 'Some Paleolithic Tools From Northeast North America
Biological Analogy, Diffusionism, and Archaeology
A "biologization" of anthropological theory has recently been proposed by scholars from various subfields of the discipline. One aspect of that phenomenon is Harold K. Schneider's proposal to rewrite world history as a diffusionary process based on a biological model. It is asserted that he fails for several reasons: a misunderstanding of biology, a misunderstanding of archaeology, and a rejection of empiricism, making his theory less testable th…
Physical Anthropology
The Early Hominid Plant-Food Niche
African plant-food genera exploited by Homo, Pan, and Papio have been catalogued and analyzed to provide an estimation of the size and composition of the fundamental plant-food niche of the early hominids. Results to date include recognition of more than 100 widely distributed African plant genera which are the best known candidates for plant-food exploitation by the Plio/Pleistocene hominids of eastern and southern Africa. An analysis of staples…
General and Theoretical
Gradual, autocatalytic and punctuational models of hominid brain evolution
Physical
Adaptive diversification of Malagasy strepsirrhines
Candidates for Executive Committee Member-at-large
Ecogeographic size variation among the living and subfossil prosimians of Madagascar
The living Malagasy prosimians and their recently extinct subfossil relatives include about 20 genera and 8 families that can be considered one contemporenous fauna. They exhibit morphological, behavioral, and ecological differences comparable to living anthropoid primates. This diversity is matched by the equally varied topography, climate, and vegetation of Madagascar. To investigate habitat‐related size variation, skull lengths of wild‐caught …
Size, space, and adaptation in some subfossil lemurs from Madagascar
We examine several explanations for the geographic pattern of body size variation exhibited by the subfossil lemur Archaeolemur . Part and partial correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis are applied in a stepwise, hierarchical fashion to help to determine variables interdependencies. Variance in site menas for body size is best explained by the richness of the plant community and by several correlated climatic variables (bioclimatic…
Discovery of new giant subfossil lemurs in the Ankarana Mountains of Northern Madagascar
The new antievolutionism
Nelkin, D. The Creation Controversy. Science or Scripture in the Schools. Boston, Massachusetts: Beacon Press, 1984. 242 pp. including chapter references, appendices, and index. $9.95 paper. La Follette, Marcel Chotkowski, ed. Creationism, Science, and the Law. The Arkansas Case. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1983. vii + 236 pp. including chapter references, two appendices, and two indices. $9.95 paper
The nature and origins of primate species
The living world has genetic discontinuity in it, and morphological discontinuity as well. Patterns of these discontinuities overlap to a large extent. When they do, species discrimination is unambiguous. But directly at the point of cladogenesis, there are parallel sets of processes occurring, which result in patterns that can be difficult to reconcile in a single term such as speciation. Primate “species,” living and extinct, exhibit various de…
Sexual dimorphism in large‐bodied primates
Large body size has evolved repeatedly in the order Primates, not merely among anthropoids but also among prosimians. Whereas high degrees of sexual size dimorphism characterize many of the large‐bodied anthropoids, this is not the case for extinct large‐bodied lemurs. This paper uses finite mixture analysis and other techniques to ascertain just how much skull length dimorphism might be embedded in the generally unimodal distributions of skull l…
AMS 14 C Dates for Extinct Lemurs from Caves in the Ankarana Massif, Northern Madagascar
An extensive late Quaternary fauna, including many extinct giant lemurs, has been collected recently in a 110+-km system of caves in the Ankarana Massif of northern Madagascar. AMS 14 C dates for the acid-insoluble (collagen/gelatin) fraction of bones of the giant lemur Megaladapis (26,150 ± 400 and 12,760 ± 70 yr B.P.) confirm its presence in the area during the late Pleistocene and provide the first Pleistocene 14 C ages from bones of the extin…
A new species ofMesopropithecus (Primates, Palaeopropithecidae) from Northern Madagascar
Limb joint surface areas and their ratios in Malagasy lemurs and other mammals
Surface areas of humeral and femoral heads scale largely as a function of body size. However, differences in the relative sizes of these articular surfaces are correlated with differential joint mobility and force transmission through fore‐ and hindlimbs. They can therefore assist interpretation of the positional behavior of extinct species. In this paper, we document variation in ratios of humeral head surface area to femoral head surface area a…
Subfossil Indri indri from the Ankarana Massif of northern Madagascar
Subfossil specimens of Indri indri have been recovered recently from the Ankarana Massif cave system in the far north of Madagascar. Taken together with material from the central highland site of Ampasamba‐zimba, the range of this species appears to have once included much of the northern half of the island and to have extended north and west beyond the eastern rainforest (not unlike Hapalemur simus). It is probable that forest corridors connecte…
What's growth got to do with it? Process and product in the evolution of ontogeny
Paradox of peramorphic paedomorphosis
This paper reviews Gould's clock model for heterochronic processes and uses that model to develop simple matrix representations of growth and shape change. Matrix representations of growth and development provide a common formulation for all heterochronic processes. In particular, we show how neoteny can be diagnosed using such a matrix approach. The literature is rife with contradictory representations of how neoteny affects growth allometries a…
Biology and Body Size in Human Evolution
Reappraisal of the postcranium of Hadropithecus (primates, Indroidea)
529-556
Reappraisal of the postcranium ofHadropithecus (primates, Indroidea)
Hadropithecus stenognathus (Lorenz von Liburnau [1899] Anz. Akad. Wiss. Wien 36:255-257), a giant extinct lemur from Madagascar, has been reconstructed as primarily terrestrial and probably cursorial on the basis of its postcranial anatomy, especially long bone gracility and interlimb proportions. We show here that aspects of this reconstruction are almost certainly incorrect. Hindlimb bones of Archaeolemur have been misattributed to Hadropithecu…
Biology (52 works) · Primate Behavior and Ecology (52 works) · Primate (36 works) · Lemur (33 works) · Ecology (32 works) · Zoology (32 works) · Ecology (29 works) · Amphibian and Reptile Biology (27 works) · Evolutionary biology (23 works) · Paleontology (21 works)