Amphipithecine primates are stem anthropoids: cranial and postcranial evidence.

Since their discovery in 1927, the phylogenetic status of the Myanmar amphipithecines has been highly debated. These fossil primates are recognized either as anthropoids or as adapiform strepsirrhines. This uncertainty was largely the consequence of a limited fossil record consisting mostly of jaw fragments but lacking the critical cranial elements that might resolve this debate.

Phalangeal morphology of Shanghuang fossil primates.

Here, we describe hundreds of isolated phalanges attributed to middle Eocene fossil primates from the Shanghuang fissure-fillings from southern Jiangsu Province, China. Extending knowledge based on previous descriptions of postcranial material from Shanghuang, this sample of primate finger and toe bones includes proximal phalanges, middle phalanges, and over three hundred nail-bearing distal phalanges. Most of the isolated proximal and middle phalanges fall within the range of small-bodied individuals, suggesting an allocation to the smaller haplorhine primates identified at Shanghuang, including eosimiids.

Estimating body size in early primates: The case of Archicebus and Teilhardina.

Obtaining accurate estimations of the body mass of fossil primates has always been a subject of interest in paleoanthropology because mass is an important determinant for so many other aspects of biology, ecology, and life history. This paper focuses on the issues involved in attempting to reconstruct the mass of two early Eocene haplorhine primates, Teilhardina and Archicebus, which pose particular problems due to their small size and temporal and phylogenetic distance from extant primates. In addition to a ranking of variables from more to less useful, the effect of using models of varying taxonomic and size compositions is examined.

Distal phalanges of Eosimias and Hoanghonius.

Seven primate distal phalanges have been identified from two middle Eocene fossil localities (Locality 1 and Nanbaotou) in the Yuanqu Basin, China, providing the first evidence of distal phalangeal morphology in Asian Eocene adapiform and eosimiid primates. The bones are best allocated to the basal anthropoid Eosimias centennicus and to hoanghoniine adapiforms. All distal phalangeal specimens display a morphology consistent with nail-bearing fingers and toes.

Additional postcranial elements of Teilhardina belgica: the oldest European primate.

Teilhardina belgica is one of the earliest fossil primates ever recovered and the oldest fossil primate from Europe. As such, this taxon has often been hypothesized as a basal tarsiiform on the basis of its primitive dental formula with four premolars and a simplified molar cusp pattern. Until recently [see Rose et al.

The oldest known primate skeleton and early haplorhine evolution.

Reconstructing the earliest phases of primate evolution has been impeded by gaps in the fossil record, so that disagreements persist regarding the palaeobiology and phylogenetic relationships of the earliest primates. Here we report the discovery of a nearly complete and partly articulated skeleton of a primitive haplorhine primate from the early Eocene of China, about 55 million years ago, the oldest fossil primate of this quality ever recovered. Coupled with detailed morphological examination using propagation phase contrast X-ray synchrotron microtomography, our phylogenetic analysis based on total available evidence indicates that this fossil is the most basal known member of the tarsiiform clade.

Species diversity and postcranial anatomy of eocene primates from Shanghuang, China.

The middle Eocene Shanghuang fissure-fillings, located in southern Jiangsu Province in China near the coastal city of Shanghai (Fig. 1), contain a remarkably diverse array of fossil primates that provide a unique window into the complex role played by Asia during early primate evolution.1 Compared to contemporaneous localities in North America or Europe, the ancient primate community sampled at the Shanghuang fissure-fillings is unique in several ways.

New postcranial elements for the earliest Eocene fossil primate Teilhardina belgica.

Teilhardina belgica is one of the most primitive fossil primates known to date and the earliest haplorhine with associated postcranials, making it relevant to a reconstruction of the ancestral primate morphotype. Here we describe newly discovered postcranial elements of T. belgica.

Vertical clinging and leaping revisited: vertical support use as the ancestral condition of strepsirrhine primates.

A re-examination of primate foot and knee anatomy suggests that strepsirrhine primates (adapiforms and lemuriforms) possess a unique and derived hindlimb related to their use of vertical supports. In contrast, leaping adaptations are older and shared by both major euprimate clades, Strepsirrhini and Haplorhini. Combining this derived hindlimb anatomy with leaping suggests that ancestral strepsirrhines were at least frequent vertical support users and leapers, and perhaps vertical clingers and leapers.

The phylogenetic affinities of the Pondaung tali.

The phylogenetic affinities of the primates of the late middle Eocene Pondaung Formation of Myanmar have long been disputed. The discovery of the NMMP 39 talus (Marivaux et al.: Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100 (2003) 13173-13178) provided the first clear evidence from the postcranium that a relatively large-bodied haplorhine primate is represented in the Pondaung fauna.

Talar morphology, phylogenetic affinities, and locomotor adaptation of a large-bodied amphipithecid primate from the late middle eocene of Myanmar.

A well-preserved fossil talus [National Museum of Myanmar Primates (NMMP) 82] of a large-bodied primate is described from the late middle Eocene Pondaung Formation of central Myanmar. The specimen was collected at Thandaung Kyitchaung, a well-known amphipithecid primate-bearing locality near the village of Mogaung. NMMP 82 adds to a meager but growing sample of postcranial remains documenting the large-bodied primates of the Pondaung Formation.

New proconsuloid postcranials from the early Miocene of Kenya.

New early Miocene forelimb fossils have been recovered from the Songhor and Lower Kapurtay localities in southwestern Kenya. We describe four specimens that are similar in size and functional capabilities. Their specific allocation is problematic but these forelimb specimens must belong to either Rangwapithecus gordoni or Proconsul africanus.

A new tarkadectine primate from the Eocene of Inner Mongolia, China: phylogenetic and biogeographic implications.

Tarka and Tarkadectes are Middle Eocene mammals known only from the Rocky Mountains region of North America. Previous work has suggested that they are members of the Plagiomenidae, an extinct family often included in the order Dermoptera. Here we describe a new primate, Tarkops mckennai gen.

New primate hind limb elements from the middle Eocene of China.

The continued washing, sorting, and identification of middle Eocene ( approximately 45Mya) primates from the Shanghuang fissure-fillings (Jiangsu Province, China) have produced additional hind limb elements. All are isolated elements. The strepsirhine hind limb elements include a first metatarsal and a talus, which are appropriate in size and morphology to pertain to Adapoides troglodytes.

Foot bones from Omo: implications for hominid evolution.

We reanalyze a hominid talus and calcaneus from Omo dating to 2.2 mya and 2.36 mya, respectively.

Galago locomotion in Kibale National Park, Uganda.

Very few locomotor studies have been conducted on galagos. This is surprising given their interesting anatomy and ecology, as well as their increasing species diversity. In this study we investigated locomotion and postures in two sympatric galagos species (Galagoides thomasi and Galago matschiei) living in Kibale National Park, Uganda.

A shrew-sized origin for primates.

The origin of primates has had a long history of discussion and debate, with few ever considering the impact of the original body weight on subsequent primate adaptive radiations. Here, I attempt to reconstruct early primate evolution by considering the initial size of primates as well as the critical functional-adaptive events that had to occur prior to the early Eocene. Microcebus is often viewed as a living model, and thus 40-65 g might represent a practical ancestral weight for the origin of primates.

Unique proximal tibial morphology in strepsirrhine primates.

Although the morphology of the tibial plateau in primates has received very little attention in the literature, it does exhibit features of phylogenetic and functional interest. This paper describes the morphology of the tibial plateau (particularly the intercondylar region) in extant and fossil primates, and in three mammalian outgroups: the pen-tailed tree shrew (Ptilocercus), tree shrew (Tupaia), and flying lemur or dermopteran (Cynocephalus). Extant and fossil strepsirrhine primates exhibit an eminence with a single spine, which contrasts with the intercondylar morphology of haplorhine primates.

Middle Eocene primate tarsals from China: implications for haplorhine evolution.

We describe tarsal remains of primates recovered from the Middle Eocene (approximately 45 mya) Shanghuang fissures in southern Jiangsu Province, China. These tarsals document the existence of four higher-level taxa of haplorhine primates and at least two adapid species. The meager and poorly preserved adapid material exhibits some similarities to European adapines like Adapis.

Postcranial functional morphology of Morotopithecus bishopi, with implications for the evolution of modern ape locomotion.

The large-bodied hominoid from Moroto, Uganda has until recently been known only from proconsulid like craniodental remains and some vertebrae with modern ape like features. The discovery of two partial femora and the glenoid portion of a scapula demonstrates that the functional anatomy of Morotopithecus differed markedly from other early and middle Miocene hominoids. Previous studies have consistently associated the vertebral remains with a short, stiff back and with orthograde postures.

The oldest known anthropoid postcranial fossils and the early evolution of higher primates.

The middle Eocene primate family Eosimiidae, which is known from sites in central and eastern China and Myanmar, is central to efforts to reconstruct the origin and early evolution of anthropoid or 'higher' primates (monkeys, apes and humans). Previous knowledge of eosimiid anatomy has been restricted to the dentition and an isolated petrosal bone, and this limited anatomical information has led to conflicting interpretations of early anthropoid phylogeny. Here we describe foot bones of Eosimias from the same middle Eocene sites in China that yield abundant dental remains of this primate.