Anatomical study of the skull of the Kenyan specimen KNM-ER 1805: a re-evaluation of its taxonomic allocation?

Since the discovery of KNM-ER 1805 in 1974, its taxonomic assignment is widely discussed. The aim of this paper is to re-evaluate the attribution of this fossil after comparison with a sample of original Plio-Pleistocene hominids. This specimen possesses a combination of traits that differentiate it from other hominids. In a cladistic analysis, with the operational taxonomic unit defined by the specimen, KNM-ER 1805 has a peculiar position; it is not linked with the Homo clade. KNM-ER 1805 should not be considered as an average male of Homo habilis in cladistic and morphological analyses. (C) 2002 Academie des sciences / Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.