hominid species

["Bonnie Blackwell, x 3332" <bonn@qcvaxa.acc.qc.edu>]

most workers who specialize in hominid evolution do not recognize 
more than 3 species of Homo, namely H. sapiens, H. erectus, and H. habilis.
Within H.s., however, most recognize three subspecies, H.s. neanderthalensis,
H.s.sapiens (us), and an as yet unnamed groups collectively known as
H. sapiens (archaic forms) - what was referred to H. heidelbergensis by
a dinosaur listmember.  The currently accepted species of Australopithecus
are: A. ramidans (only reported in fall, 95), A. afarensis (lucy et al),
A. africanus, A. robustus (although some are now trying to put this back
into Paranthropus, most would disagree), A. boisei (also sometimes called
A. robustus boisei - what was once known as Zinjanthropus boisei).

very few workers in hominid evolution would use the term "grade" to refer
to branches along the homind tree or cladogram.  it is a term that human
paleontologists abandonned when they abandonned the term "race".
b

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bonnie Blackwell,                               bonn@qcvaxa.acc.qc.edu
Dept of Geology,                                (718) 997-3332
Queens College, City University of New York,    fax:  997-3349
Flushing, NY 11367-1597