Final answer:
The Cro-Magnons (d) were the first group to evolve as members of the species Homo sapiens, after Homo erectus and Homo habilis and around the time of Neanderthals. Cro-Magnons represent the early modern humans that exhibited behaviors similar to those of contemporary humans.
Step-by-step explanation:
The group that was first to evolve as members of the species Homo sapiens is the Cro-Magnons (d). Cro-Magnons are often considered synonymous with early modern Homo sapiens, especially those living in Europe from about 40,000 to 10,000 years ago, after having migrated out of Africa. Cro-Magnons represent the first group that shows a robust record of many modern human behaviors.
Before the Cro-Magnons, there were other important groups in human evolution. For instance, Homo erectus was a pioneering early human species that walked upright and had advanced tool-making abilities, living between about 1.9 million and 800,000 years ago. Homo habilis, possibly the earliest member of the genus Homo, known for their hand-crafted stone tools, dates back around two to three million years ago. The Neanderthals evolved from Homo erectus and lived in Europe and western Asia between 200,000 and 30,000 years ago, but they are considered a sister group to Homo sapiens, not direct ancestors.