Homo juluensis is a proposed extinct species of archaic human from the Middle Pleistocene of China which would encompass Xujiayao, Xuchang Man, Penghu 1, and possibly the Denisovans.
Research history
The species classification of archaic humans during the Middle Pleistocene has always been a controversial topic, commonly referred to as "the muddle in the middle". In mainland East Asia, the early Middle Pleistocene was home to Homo erectus — best exemplified regionally by the Peking Man — but as the age continues, the anatomy of archaic human fossils becomes highly variable, with traits reminiscent of the earlier H. erectus but also H. heidelbergensis or modern humans. Historically, they have been characterized as hybrids of the indigenous H. erectus and newcomers from the west, an undescribed species, or multiple different species; and classified as H. heidelbergensis, archaic H. sapiens, or simply Middle Pleistocene Homo. Genetic data also identifies an enigmatic population referred to as the "Denisovans" which were apparently dispersed across East Asia and interbred with modern humans and Neanderthals. In 2024, Chinese palaeoanthropologist Xiujie Wu and Korean-American anthropologist Christopher Bae erected a new species, H. juluensis (derived from the Mandarin Chinese 巨颅/巨顱, meaning "large-headed"), to house the Denisovans (specifically the Xiahe mandible), Penghu 1, and remains from Xujiayao and Xuchang. They made the Xujiayao material the holotype and Xuchang the paratype. Japanese anthropologist Yousuke Kaifu and American paleoanthropologist Sheela Athreya suggested that the Hexian material may be a descendant of Xuchang and belong to the same population. Though they agreed that Hexian, Penghu 1, and Xiahe group well together, they questioned the inclusion of the Denisovans, since only the mandibular ramus (the part of the jaw that goes up to connect with the skull) is preserved in the Xujiayao remains, but only the mandibular body is preserved by the Xiahe mandible, making direct anatomical comparisons with the holotype material impossible. The species joins a larger body of East Asian Homo species which have been erected in the 21st century: the insular H. floresiensis and H. luzonensis, and the Chinese H. longi (represented by a skull from Harbin, the Dali Man, and Jinniushan Man according to Bae). It has further been debated if the Dali Man should be the basis for another unique species, "H. daliensis", and the Chinese Maba Man and Indian Narmada Man as another unique species or Asian representatives of Neanderthals.
Description
The Xujiayao and Xuchang material are known for their large skulls. Xu and Bae distinguished H. juluensis by a low and wide skull, large brain size (over 1,000 cc), a small and inward mastoid part of the temporal bone, a depression over the parietal bone, defined temporal lines, a high squamous part of temporal bone, an ovoid ear canal, a Neanderthal-like bony labyrinth (in the ear), a weak occipital torus (bar-like projection at the back of the skull), large teeth, shovel-shaped incisors, and a wide mandibular ramus (the part of the jaw that goes up to connect with the skull).
See also Prehistoric Asia Archaic humans in Southeast Asia Hualongdong people
References
