The family Dendropithecidae is an extinct family of
catarrhine apes. They date from the Early
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), 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 mea ...
, around 20-12 million years ago.
Fossils of the two ''Dendropithecus'' species, ''Dendropithecus macinnesi'' and ''Dendropithecus ugandensis'', have been found in
East Africa
East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...
, including several partial skeletons of ''Dendropithecus macinnesi'' on
Rusinga Island in
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropics, tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface are ...
. Other species are ''Simiolus andrewsi'', ''Simiolus cheptumoae'', ''Simiolus enjiessi''.
''Micropithecus clarki'' and ''Micropithecus leakeyorum'' may not be part Dendropithecidae, and may be sister to the crown
Catarrhini
The parvorder Catarrhini (known commonly as catarrhine monkeys, Old World anthropoids, or Old World monkeys) consists of the Cercopithecoidea and apes (Hominoidea). In 1812, Geoffroy grouped those two groups together and established the name ...
(or, depending on the definition, the apes and the
Cercopithecidae
Old World monkeys are primates in the family (biology), family Cercopithecidae (). Twenty-four genus, genera and 138 species are recognized, making it the largest primate family. Old World monkey genera include baboons (genus ''Papio''), red colo ...
may have emerged in the Dendropithecidae).
The later Nyanzapithecinae (including ''
Oreopithecus (''† 7 Ma)
) appear to be sister to ''
Simiolus''.
[
]
Description
The taxa included in Dendropithecidae, possess the following traits:
* Upper and lower canines strongly bilaterally compressed
* P3 moderately to strongly specialized for sectoriality
* Slender limb bones
* Humerus with a relatively straight shaft
* Medial epicondyle of the humerus is large and medially directed
* Epitrochlear fossa is well developed
* Zona conoidea is broad and shallow
* Trochlear articular surface exhibits minimal spooling
* Olecranon fossa is shallow
''Micropithecus'' appears to be sister to the crown catarrhini.[
]
References
Miocene primates
Pliocene primates
Miocene extinctions
Prehistoric apes
Primate families
Prehistoric mammal families
{{paleo-primate-stub