Lagonimico

''Lagonimico'' is an extinct genus of New World monkeys from the Middle Miocene (Laventan in the South American land mammal ages; 13.8 to 11.8 Ma). Its remains have been found at the Konzentrat-Lagerstätte of La Venta in the Honda Group of Colombia. The type species is ''Lagonimico conclucatus''.''Lagonimico conclucatus''
at Fossilworks.org

Description

A nearly complete but badly crushed skull and mandible of ''Lagonimico'' were discovered in the La Victoria Formation, that has been dated to the Laventan, about 13.5 to 12.9 Ma.Defler, 2004, p.32Kay, 1994, p.333 ''Lagonimico'', as '' Micodon'' and '' Patasola magdalenae'', also from the Honda Group, have been attributed to the Callitrichinae.Takai et al., 2001, p.290

Features of the dentition suggest ''Lagonimico'' is a sister group to living Callitrichinae (''Saguinus'', '' Leontopithecus'', '' Callithrix'', and '' Cebuella''). These features include having elongate compressed lower incisors, a reduced P2 lingual moiety, and the absence of upper molar hypocones. The new taxon also has a relatively deep jaw, that rule it out of the direct ancestry of any living callitrichine.

The orbits of ''L. conclucatus'' are small, suggesting diurnal habits. Inflated, low-crowned (bunodont) cheek teeth with short, rounded shearing crests, as well as premolar simplification and M3 size reduction, suggest fruit- or gum eating adaptations, as among many living callitrichines. Procumbent and slightly elongate lower incisors suggest this species could use its front teeth as a gouge, perhaps for harvesting tree gum. Estimates from jaw size suggest ''Lagonimico'' weighed about ,Pérez et al., 2013, p.9 about the size of '' Callicebus'', the living titi monkey of South America.Tejedor, 2013, p.29 Later research reduced the estimated weight to .Silvestro et al., 2017, p.14 Judged from tooth size and jaw length, ''Lagonimico'' would have been slightly smaller than ''Callicebus'', but still larger than '' Callimico'' or any living callitrichine.

The upper first molar (M1) with a subtriangular outline with a narrow lingual side resembles that of the oldest New World primate discovered to date, the Late Eocene '' Perupithecus'' from the Peruvian Amazon.Bond et al., 2015, p.538

Habitat

The Honda Group, and more precisely the "Monkey Beds", are the richest site for fossil primates in South America.Rosenberger & Hartwig, 2001, p.3 Other than most fossil primates found at La Venta, the specimens of ''Lagonimico'' do not come from the "Monkey Beds".Wheeler, 2010, p.137 It has been argued that the monkeys of the Honda Group were living in habitat that was in contact with the Amazon and Orinoco Basins, and that La Venta itself was probably seasonally dry forest.Lynch Alfaro et al., 2015, p.520 The evolutionary separation from '' Aotus'' of ''Lagonimico'' has been placed in the Early Miocene at 17.5 Ma.Takai et al., 2001, p.304

See also

* List of primates of Colombia
* '' Mohanamico''
* '' Patasola''

References

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{{Taxonbar, from=Q10315836

Monotypic prehistoric primate genera
Prehistoric monkeys
Miocene genus first appearances
Miocene extinctions
Miocene primates of South America
Laventan
Neogene Colombia
Fossils of Colombia
Honda Group, Colombia
Fossil taxa described in 1994