The lack of an adequate hominid fossil record in eastern Africa between 2 and 3 million years ago (Ma) has hampered investigations of early hominid phylogeny. Discovery of 2.5 Ma hominid cranial and dental remains from the Hata beds of Ethiopia's Middle Awash allows recognition of a new species ofAustralopithecus. This species is descended fromAustralopithecus afarensis and is a candidate ancestor for earlyHomo. Contemporary postcranial remains feature a derived humanlike humeral/femoral ratio and an apelike upper arm–to–lower arm ratio.