catarrhine
The parvorder Catarrhini , catarrhine monkeys, Old World anthropoids, or Old World monkeys, consisting of the Cercopithecoidea and apes (Hominoidea). In 1812, Geoffroy grouped those two groups together and established the name Catarrhini, "Old ...
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 simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...
s that inhabited Asia and Europe 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 ...
. Although they were once a widespread and diverse group of primates, the pliopithecoids have no living descendants.
History of discovery
The first fossil specimens attributed to Pliopithecoidea were discovered by
Édouard Lartet
Édouard Lartet (15 April 180128 January 1871) was a French geologist and paleontologist, and a pioneer of Paleolithic archaeology.
Biography
Lartet was born near Castelnau-Barbarens, ' of Gers, France, where his family had lived for more than ...
in Sansan, France in 1837. These fossils were later referenced by
Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville
Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville (; 12 September 1777 – 1 May 1850) was a French zoologist and anatomist.
Life
Blainville was born at Arques, near Dieppe. As a young man he went to Paris to study art, but ultimately devoted himself to natur ...
in 1839, who named the type species '' Pliopithecus antiquus''. A second species, ''Pliopithecus platyodon'', was discovered in Switzerland by Biedermann in 1863. Following this, a small number of other pliopithecoid species were described from fossil collections found in France, Germany, and Poland.
In the mid-twentieth century, paleontologists
Johannes Hürzeler
{{Short pages monitor of the lower molars, but even this trait is variable. Instead, the most defining dental trait present in all pliopithecoids is a tall crowned lower third premolar, which is relatively triangular in outline with a comparatively short, vertically oriented mesiobucal face.
The crania of ''P. vindobonesis'', ''Laccopithecus robustus'', ''Pliopithecus zhanxiangi'', and ''Anapithecus hernyaki'' demonstrate that pliopithecoids had relatively large and globular braincases with a projecting snout. The snout projects less than the propliopithecoids of North Africa (''i.e.'' ''
Aegyptopithecus
''Aegyptopithecus'' ("Egyptian ape", from Greek ''Αίγυπτος'' "Egypt" and ''πίθηκος'' "ape") is an early fossil catarrhine that predates the divergence between hominoids (apes) and cercopithecids (Old World monkeys). It is known ...
''), suggesting some prognathic reduction from the inferred common ancestor of these two primate families. The orbits are widely spaced and the mandible is long and robust, with a relatively broad ramus. Most importantly, however, pliopithecoids had an incompletely ossified ectotympanic tube. This anatomical feature represents an intermediate stage between what is found in
platyrrhines
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 ...
, which do not have an ossified ectotympanic tube, and
catarrhines
The parvorder Catarrhini , catarrhine monkeys, Old World anthropoids, or Old World monkeys, consisting of the Cercopithecoidea and apes (Hominoidea). In 1812, Geoffroy grouped those two groups together and established the name Catarrhini, "Old W ...
, which have a completely ossified ectotympanic tube.
Nearly all of what is known about the body proportions and post-cranial morphology of this family are derived from ''Pliopithecus vindobonensis'', as it is the only species for which a complete skeleton has been found. Still, the majority of fossil material indicates that pliopithecoids were medium sized primates, approximately the size of a howler monkey or a gibbon (8 kg). Köhler estimates a slightly higher average weight of 10 kg. Post-cranially, pliopithecoids had an interesting mix of platyrrhine and catarrhine traits. The brachial index of ''P. vindobonesis'' (the length of the radius divided by the length of the humerus) is similar to that of a howler monkey, but the crural index (the length of the tibia divided by the length of the femur) is similar to that of a gibbon. Proportionally, however, the forelimbs of ''P. vindobonesis'' were shorter than their hindlimbs, making them comparable to a baboon. The hands and feet of ''P. vindobonesis'' were long and curved, suggesting that pliopithecoids were adept and agile climbers. The post-crania of ''P. vindobonesis'' also shows that Pliopithecoids had an entepicondylar foramen, which is a primitive trait not found in any other catarrhine primates (extant or extinct). The wrist and hands of pliopithecoids were seemingly much more similar to platyrrhines than to catarrhines, as the carpo-metacarpal joint of the thumb is a modified “hinge joint” compared to the "saddle-like" thumb joint found in Old World monkeys and apes. Pliopithecoids also had a tail.
Classification
The following classification scheme represents multiple sources.
*Order
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 simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...
s (Linnaeus, 1758)
**Infraorder
Catarrhini
The parvorder Catarrhini , catarrhine monkeys, Old World anthropoids, or Old World monkeys, consisting of the Cercopithecoidea and apes (Hominoidea). In 1812, Geoffroy grouped those two groups together and established the name Catarrhini, "Old ...
Pliopithecus
''Pliopithecus'' {meaning "more ape") is a genus of extinct primates of the Miocene. It was discovered in 1837 by Édouard Lartet (1801–1871) in France, with fossils subsequently discovered in Switzerland, Slovakia and Spain.
''Pliopithecus'' ...
Crouzeliinae
Crouzeliinae is an extinct subfamily of Pliopithecidae primates that inhabited Europe and China during the Miocene, approximately 8–14.5 million years ago - they appear to have originated in Asia and extended their range into Europe between 17 ...
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 ...
Kapi
Kapi, Kapı, or KAPI may refer to:
Places
* Kapi, Estonia, a village in Estonia
* Kapı, Karataş, a village in Turkey
* a possible old volcanic eruption site near Krakatoa
People
* Mari Kapi (1950–2009), Papua New Guinean judge
* Mustafa Ka ...
Subfamilies
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...
Crouzeliinae
Crouzeliinae is an extinct subfamily of Pliopithecidae primates that inhabited Europe and China during the Miocene, approximately 8–14.5 million years ago - they appear to have originated in Asia and extended their range into Europe between 17 ...