Parapithecoidea is an extinct superfamily of

primates Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...

which lived in the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...

and

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...

periods in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. In some classifications all Parapithecoidea are placed within the family

Parapithecidae Parapithecidae is an extinct family of primates which lived in the Eocene and Oligocene periods in Egypt. Eocene fossils from Myanmar are sometimes included in the family in addition. They showed certain similarities in dentition to Condylarthra, ...

. Seiffert ''et al.'' (2010) propose that Parapithecoidea arose during the

Bartonian The Bartonian is, in the ICS's geologic time scale, a stage or age in the middle Eocene Epoch or Series. The Bartonian Age spans the time between . It is preceded by the Lutetian and is followed by the Priabonian Age. Stratigraphic definitio ...

(middle

), with a split between ''

Biretia ''Biretia'' is an extinct genus of Old World monkey belonging to the extinct family Parapithecidae. Fossils are found from Late Eocene strata in Egypt. The first discovery of ''Biretia'' was a single tooth dated to approximately 37 mya, which w ...

'' and the Parapithecidae occurring early in the

Priabonian The Priabonian is, in the ICS's geologic timescale, the latest age or the upper stage of the Eocene Epoch or Series. It spans the time between . The Priabonian is preceded by the Bartonian and is followed by the Rupelian, the lowest stage of t ...

(late Eocene).Seiffert, Erik & Simons, Elwyn & Fleagle, John & Godinot, Marc. (2010). Paleogene Anthropoids. pages 369-392. In 'Cenozoic Mammals of Africa' (editors Lars Wardelin and William Sanders) University of California Press 6 August 2010 The examination of the dentition of '' Arsinoea'' by Seiffert et al. led them to consider that ''Arsinoea'' may or may not be a parapithecid, although certainly parapithecoidal, and suggest that ''

Arsinoea kallimos ''Arsinoea'' is an extinct genus of primates of which there is one known species, ''Arsinoea kallimos''. ''Arsinoea kallimos'' from the late Eocene quarry L-41, Fayum Depression. References External links *Arsinoea kallimos' in the Paleobi ...

'' be treated as ''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...

'' within Parapithecoidea. Morphological analysis of fossil evidence presented in 2020 implies a parapithecid monkey species rafted across the Atlantic in the Paleogene and at least briefly colonized South America. '' Ucayalipithecus'' remains dating from the Early Oligocene of Amazonian Peru are deeply nested within the Parapithecidae, and have dental features markedly different from those of

platyrrhine New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in the tropical regions of Mexico, Central and South America: Callitrichidae, Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae. The five families are ranked together as the Ceboidea ...

s. ''

Qatrania Qatrania is an extinct genus of primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simia ...

wingi'' of lower Oligocene

Fayum Faiyum ( ar, الفيوم ' , borrowed from cop, ̀Ⲫⲓⲟⲙ or Ⲫⲓⲱⲙ ' from egy, pꜣ ym "the Sea, Lake") is a city in Middle Egypt. Located southwest of Cairo, in the Faiyum Oasis, it is the capital of the modern Faiyum ...

deposits is considered the closest known relative of ''Ucayalipithecus''. The absence of later fossil finds from this group in South America indicates they were outcompeted by platyrrhines.

Families

*†

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17121534 Prehistoric primates Mammal superfamilies Eocene first appearances Oligocene extinctions