Abstract: Analysis of 3D measurements of 13 landmarks on 72 Yuanmou Hominoid lower molars and some comparative samples, using Euclidean Distance Matrix Analysis (EDMA), show that the 3D morphometric features of Yuanmou Homi noid lower molars largely resemble those of Lufengpithecus. Compared with extant great apes and humans, both Yuanmou Hominoid and Lufengpithecus differ markedly from humans, whereas they show much resemblance to apes. The two Chinese hominoids and extant great apes are different from humans in many of the same ways. Moreover, 3D morphometric features of Yuanmou Hominoid lower molars differ from those of each of the three extant great apes in similar ways. Of the three, the orangutan is the closest match to Yuanmou Hominoid in tooth morphology. However, the exact implications of these similarities and differences remain to be determined.

Key words: Yuanmou Hominoid; Lufengpithecus; Morphometrics; 3D analysis; EDMA