''Anoiapithecus'' is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

ape Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a clade of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and as well as Europe in prehistory), which together with its sister g ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

thought to be closely related to ''

Dryopithecus ''Dryopithecus'' is a genus of extinct great apes from the middle–late Miocene boundary of Europe 12.5 to 11.1 million years ago (mya). Since its discovery in 1856, the genus has been subject to taxonomic turmoil, with numerous new species b ...

''. Both genera lived during the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

, approximately 12 million years ago. Fossil specimens named by

Salvador Moyà-Solà Salvador Moyà-Solà (born 1955) is a Spanish paleontologist. He works in the Institut Català de Paleontología Miquel Crusafont in Sabadell, Catalonia. From 1983 to 2006, he was affiliated with the Diputación Provincial de Barcelona. In 2006 ...

are known from the deposits from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

.. The discoverers described ''Anoiapithecus brevirostris'' as a

hominoid Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a clade of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and as well as Europe in prehistory), which together with its sister g ...

(superfamily

Hominoidea Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a clade of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and as well as Europe in prehistory), which together with its sister g ...

) in the

dryopithecine Dryopithecini is an extinct tribe of Eurasian and African great apes that are believed to be close to the ancestry of gorillas, chimpanzees and humans. Members of this tribe are known as dryopithecines. Taxonomy * Tribe Dryopithecini† ** ''Ke ...

tribe. They believe that it has more modern traits than the Kenyapithecines from which Kenya's '' Kenyapithecus wickeri'' brings fragmentary information. The African specimens are considered a sister taxon to the hominids, and 2 million years younger European specimens must be from the time after these two groups split. This means that hominids may have evolved in Europe. The name comes from the

Anoia River The Anoia (''Noya'' in Spanish) is a river in Catalonia, Spain, most of whose course is within the ''comarca'' of the same name. Its source is in the municipality of Veciana (Anoia) at an elevation of about . It passes through Igualada and crosse ...

region in

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

, where the fossil was found. It has been given the nickname ''Lluc'' (since it is a male individual). The name Lluc is the Catalan form of Luke, which in Latin suggests "light", as this discovery enlighted our early evolution. The modern anatomical features that characterized the family

Hominidae The Hominidae (), whose members are known as the great apes or hominids (), are a taxonomic family of primates that includes eight extant species in four genera: '' Pongo'' (the Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutan); ''Gorilla'' (the ea ...

visible in Lluc's fossil among others are: unique facial pattern for hominoids, nasal aperture wide at the base, high

cheek bone In the human skull, the zygomatic bone (from grc, ζῠγόν, zugón, yoke), also called cheekbone or malar bone, is a paired irregular bone which articulates with the maxilla, the temporal bone, the sphenoid bone and the frontal bone. It is si ...

, and deep palate.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q134825 Prehistoric apes Miocene primates of Europe Fossil taxa described in 2009 Fossils of Spain Prehistoric primate genera

See also

References