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Kemp AD. Effects of binocular cue availability on leaping performance in Cheirogaleus medius: implications for primate origins. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb245434. [PMID: 38348492 PMCID: PMC10918687 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Multiple competing hypotheses attribute the evolution of the suite of traits that distinguish primates from their closest relatives, including forward-facing eyes, which create a wide field of binocular vision, to specific behavioral and ecological factors. The grasp-leaping hypothesis suggests that the evolution of these traits in basal primates was driven by the demands of a form of leaping locomotion unique to primates. Whether the grasp-leaping hypothesis provides a viable mechanism for the evolution of primates' forward-facing eyes remains untested. To determine whether grasp-leaping locomotion may have contributed to driving the evolution of primates' forward-facing eyes, the importance of vision within the binocular field for this type of leaping was evaluated experimentally in Cheirogaleus medius, one of the cheirogaleid primate species considered reasonable living analogs of the earliest primates. Availability of binocular visual cues was experimentally restricted using a head-mounted blinder that narrowed the binocular visual field without altering the total visual field. Animals altered their launch behavior, reduced their horizontal leap speed, and were significantly more likely to select paths that offered the shortest available leaps when their binocular field was restricted. Restriction of binocular cue availability also significantly increased the probability of adverse landings even when statistically controlling for potentially confounding variables such as leap distance, horizontal leap speed, learning effects, etc. These results suggest a functional mechanism by which selection for improved grasp-leaping could also have contributed to the evolution of forward-facing eyes in the earliest crown primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Addison D. Kemp
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
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2
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Monclús-Gonzalo O, Alba DM, Duhamel A, Fabre AC, Marigó J. Early euprimates already had a diverse locomotor repertoire: Evidence from ankle bone morphology. J Hum Evol 2023; 181:103395. [PMID: 37320961 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The morphological adaptations of euprimates have been linked to their origin and early evolution in an arboreal environment. However, the ancestral and early locomotor repertoire of this group remains contentious. Although some tarsal bones like the astragalus and the calcaneus have been thoroughly studied, the navicular remains poorly studied despite its potential implications for foot mobility. Here, we evaluate early euprimate locomotion by assessing the shape of the navicular-an important component of the midtarsal region of the foot-using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics in relation to quantified locomotor repertoire in a wide data set of extant primates. We also reconstruct the locomotor repertoire of representatives of the major early primate lineages with a novel phylogenetically informed discriminant analysis and characterize the changes that occurred in the navicular during the archaic primate-euprimate transition. To do so, we included in our study an extensive sample of naviculars (36 specimens) belonging to different species of adapiforms, omomyiforms, and plesiadapiforms. Our results indicate that navicular shape embeds a strong functional signal, allowing us to infer the type of locomotion of extinct primates. We demonstrate that early euprimates displayed a diverse locomotor behavior, although they did not reach the level of specialization of some living forms. Finally, we show that the navicular bone experienced substantial reorganization throughout the archaic primate-euprimate transition, supporting the major functional role of the tarsus during early primate evolution. This study demonstrates that navicular shape can be used as a reliable proxy for primate locomotor behavior. In addition, it sheds light on the diverse locomotor behavior of early primates as well as on the archaic primate-euprimate transition, which involved profound morphological changes within the tarsus, including the navicular bone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oriol Monclús-Gonzalo
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David M Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anaïs Duhamel
- University of Lyon, ENSL, CNRS, LGL-TPE, Villeurbanne 69622, France
| | - Anne-Claire Fabre
- Naturhistorisches Museum Bern, 3005 Bern, Switzerland; Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Life Sciences Department, Vertebrates Division, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK.
| | - Judit Marigó
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Departament de Geologia, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
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3
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Chester SGB, Williamson TE, Silcox MT, Bloch JI, Sargis EJ. Skeletal morphology of the early Paleocene plesiadapiform Torrejonia wilsoni (Euarchonta, Palaechthonidae). J Hum Evol 2019; 128:76-92. [PMID: 30825983 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2018] [Revised: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Plesiadapiforms, like other Paleogene mammals, are known mostly from fossil teeth and jaw fragments. The several families of plesiadapiforms known from partial skeletons have all been reconstructed as arborealists, but differences in postcranial morphology among these taxa indicate a diversity of positional behaviors. Here we provide the first detailed descriptions and comparisons of a dentally associated partial skeleton (NMMNH P-54500) and of the most complete dentary with anterior teeth (NMMNH P-71598) pertaining to Torrejonia wilsoni, from the early Paleocene (late Torrejonian To3 interval zone) of the Nacimiento Formation, San Juan Basin, New Mexico, USA. NMMNH P-54500 is the oldest known partial skeleton of a plesiadapiform and the only known postcrania for the Palaechthonidae. This skeleton includes craniodental fragments with all permanent teeth fully erupted, and partial forelimbs and hind limbs with some epiphyses unfused, indicating that this individual was a nearly fully-grown subadult. Analysis of the forelimb suggests mobile shoulder and elbow joints, a habitually flexed forearm, and capacity for manual grasping. The hip joint allowed abduction and lateral rotation of the thigh and provides evidence for frequent orthograde postures on large diameter supports. Other aspects of the hind limb suggest a habitually flexed thigh and knee with no evidence for specialized leaping, and mobile ankle joints capable of high degrees of inversion and eversion. Although it is likely that some variability exists within the group, analysis of this skeleton suggests that palaechthonids are most like paromomyids among plesiadapiforms, but retain more plesiomorphic postcranial features than has been documented for the Paromomyidae. These observations are congruent with craniodental evidence supporting palaechthonids and paromomyids as closely related within the Paromomyoidea. The skeleton of T. wilsoni also demonstrates that many regions of the postcranium were already well adapted for arboreality within the first few million years of the diversification of placental mammals following the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen G B Chester
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210, USA; Department of Anthropology, Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Thomas E Williamson
- New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 1801 Mountain Road, NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104-1375, USA
| | - Mary T Silcox
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Jonathan I Bloch
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, 1659 Museum Road, Gainesville, FL 32611-7800, USA
| | - Eric J Sargis
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, P. O. Box 208277, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Division of Vertebrate Paleontology, Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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4
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New fossils, systematics, and biogeography of the oldest known crown primate Teilhardina from the earliest Eocene of Asia, Europe, and North America. J Hum Evol 2019; 128:103-131. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Revised: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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Locomotion, postures, substrate use, and foot grasping in the marsupial feathertail glider Acrobates pygmaeus (Diprotodontia: Acrobatidae): Insights into early euprimate evolution. J Hum Evol 2018; 123:148-159. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2017] [Revised: 07/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Dagosto M, Gebo D, Ni X, Smith T. Estimating body size in early primates: The case of Archicebus and Teilhardina. J Hum Evol 2018; 115:8-19. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2016] [Revised: 09/26/2016] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Phalangeal morphology of Shanghuang fossil primates. J Hum Evol 2017; 113:38-82. [PMID: 29054169 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Revised: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 08/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
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. In contrast to the proximal and middle phalanges from Shanghuang, there are a variety of shapes, sizes, and possible taxonomic allocations for the distal phalanges. Two distal phalangeal morphologies are numerically predominant at Shanghuang. The sample of larger bodied specimens is best allocated to the medium-sized adapiform Adapoides while the smaller ones are allocated to eosimiids on the basis of the commonality of dental and tarsal remains of these taxa at Shanghuang. The digit morphology of Adapoides is similar morphologically to that of notharctines and cercamoniines, while eosimiid digit morphology is unlike living anthropoids. Other primate distal phalangeal morphologies at Shanghuang include grooming "claws" as well as specimens attributable to tarsiids, tarsiiforms, the genus Macrotarsius, and a variety of adapiforms. One group of distal phalanges at Shanghuang is morphologically indistinguishable from those of living anthropoids. All of the phalanges suggest long fingers and toes for the fossil primates of Shanghaung, and their digit morphology implies arboreality with well-developed digital flexion and strong, grasping hands and feet.
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Boyer DM, Toussaint S, Godinot M. Postcrania of the most primitive euprimate and implications for primate origins. J Hum Evol 2017; 111:202-215. [PMID: 28874272 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2017] [Revised: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The fossil record of early primates is largely comprised of dentitions. While teeth can indicate phylogenetic relationships and dietary preferences, they say little about hypotheses pertaining to the positional behavior or substrate preference of the ancestral crown primate. Here we report the discovery of a talus bone of the dentally primitive fossil euprimate Donrussellia provincialis. Our comparisons and analyses indicate that this talus is more primitive than that of other euprimates. It lacks features exclusive to strepsirrhines, like a large medial tibial facet and a sloping fibular facet. It also lacks the medially positioned flexor-fibularis groove of extant haplorhines. In these respects, the talus of D. provincialis comes surprisingly close to that of the pen-tailed treeshrew, Ptilocercus lowii, and extinct plesiadapiforms for which tali are known. However, it differs from P. lowii and is more like other early euprimates in exhibiting an expanded posterior trochlear shelf and deep talar body. In overall form, the bone approximates more leaping reliant euprimates. The phylogenetically basal signal from the new fossil is confirmed with cladistic analyses of two different character matrices, which place D. provincialis as the most basal strepsirrhine when the new tarsal data are included. Interpreting our results in the context of other recent discoveries, we conclude that the lineage leading to the ancestral euprimate had already become somewhat leaping specialized, while certain specializations for the small branch niche came after crown primates began to radiate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doug M Boyer
- Duke University, Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
| | - Séverine Toussaint
- UFR Sciences Du Vivant, Université Paris Diderot-Paris 7, Sorbonne Universités, Centre de Recherche sur La Paléobiodiversité et Les Paléoenvironnements (CR2P, UMR 7207), CNRS/MNHN/UPMC, Paris, France
| | - Marc Godinot
- École Pratique des Hautes Études, PSL, UMR 7207 CR2P, Paris, France
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Femenias-Gual J, Minwer-Barakat R, Marigó J, Poyatos-Moré M, Moyà-Solà S. Agerinia marandati sp. nov., a new early Eocene primate from the Iberian Peninsula, sheds new light on the evolution of the genus Agerinia. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3239. [PMID: 28462042 PMCID: PMC5410143 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 03/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Eocene was the warmest epoch of the Cenozoic and recorded the appearance of several orders of modern mammals, including the first occurrence of Euprimates. During the Eocene, Euprimates were mainly represented by two groups, adapiforms and omomyiforms, which reached great abundance and diversity in the Northern Hemisphere. Despite this relative abundance, the record of early Eocene primates from the European continent is still scarce and poorly known, preventing the observation of clear morphological trends in the evolution of the group and the establishment of phylogenetic relationships among different lineages. However, knowledge about the early Eocene primates from the Iberian Peninsula has been recently increased through the description of new material of the genus Agerinia from several fossil sites from Northeastern Spain. METHODS Here we present the first detailed study of the euprimate material from the locality of Masia de l'Hereuet (early Eocene, NE Spain). The described remains consist of one fragment of mandible and 15 isolated teeth. This work provides detailed descriptions, accurate measurements, high-resolution figures and thorough comparisons with other species of Agerinia as well with other Eurasian notharctids. Furthermore, the position of the different species of Agerinia has been tested with two phylogenetic analyses. RESULTS The new material from Masia de l'Hereuet shows several traits that were previously unknown for the genus Agerinia, such as the morphology of the upper and lower fourth deciduous premolars and the P2, and the unfused mandible. Moreover, this material clearly differs from the other described species of Agerinia, A. roselli and A. smithorum, thus allowing the erection of the new species Agerinia marandati. The phylogenetic analyses place the three species of Agerinia in a single clade, in which A. smithorum is the most primitive species of this genus. DISCUSSION The morphology of the upper molars reinforces the distinction of Agerinia from other notharctids like Periconodon. The analysis of the three described species of the genus, A. smithorum, A. marandati and A. roselli, reveals a progressive change in several morphological traits such as the number of roots and the position of the P1 and P2, the molarization of the P4, the reduction of the paraconid on the lower molars and the displacement of the mental foramina. These gradual modifications allow for the interpretation that these three species, described from the early Eocene of the Iberian Peninsula, are part of a single evolutionary lineage. The stratigraphical position of Masia de l'Hereuet and Casa Retjo-1 (type locality of A. smithorum) and the phylogenetic analyses developed in this work support this hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan Femenias-Gual
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raef Minwer-Barakat
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Judit Marigó
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Centre de Recherches sur la Paléobiodiversité et les Paléoenvironnements (CR2P, UMR 7207), Sorbonne Universités –MNHN, CNRS, UMPC-Paris6–, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Miquel Poyatos-Moré
- Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Sem Sælands vei 1, Oslo, Norway
| | - Salvador Moyà-Solà
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Unit of Anthropology, BABVE Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona, Spain
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Yapuncich GS, Seiffert ER, Boyer DM. Quantification of the position and depth of the flexor hallucis longus groove in euarchontans, with implications for the evolution of primate positional behavior. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 163:367-406. [PMID: 28345775 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Revised: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE On the talus, the position and depth of the groove for the flexor hallucis longus tendon have been used to infer phylogenetic affinities and positional behaviors of fossil primates. This study quantifies aspects of the flexor hallucis longus groove (FHLG) to test if: (1) a lateral FHLG is a derived strepsirrhine feature, (2) a lateral FHLG reflects inverted and abducted foot postures, and (3) a deeper FHLG indicates a larger muscle. METHODS We used linear measurements of microCT-generated models from a sample of euarchontans (n = 378 specimens, 125 species) to quantify FHLG position and depth. Data are analyzed with ANOVA, Ordinary and Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares, and Bayesian Ancestral State Reconstruction (ASR). RESULTS Extant strepsirrhines, adapiforms, plesiadapiforms, dermopterans, and Ptilocercus exhibit lateral FHLGs. Extant anthropoids, subfossil lemurs, and Tupaia have medial FHLGs. FHLGs of omomyiforms and basal fossil anthropoids are intermediate between those of strepsirrhines and extant anthropoids. FHLG position has few correlations with pedal inversion features. Relative FHLG depth is not significantly correlated with body mass. ASRs support a directional model for FHLG position and a random walk model for FHLG depth. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of lateral FHLGs in many non-euprimates suggests a lateral FHLG is not a derived strepsirrhine feature. The lack of correlations with pedal inversion features suggests a lateral FHLG is not a sufficient indicator of strepsirrhine-like foot postures. Instead, a lateral FHLG may reduce the risk of tendon displacement in abducted foot postures on large diameter supports. A deep FHLG does not indicate a larger muscle, but likely reduces bowstringing during plantarflexion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel S Yapuncich
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Erik R Seiffert
- Department of Cell and Neurobiology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Doug M Boyer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
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New euprimate postcrania from the early Eocene of Gujarat, India, and the strepsirrhine–haplorhine divergence. J Hum Evol 2016; 99:25-51. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2016] [Revised: 06/24/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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12
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Bloch JI, Chester SG, Silcox MT. Cranial anatomy of Paleogene Micromomyidae and implications for early primate evolution. J Hum Evol 2016; 96:58-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2015] [Revised: 04/04/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Patel BA, Larson SG, Stern JT. Electromyography of crural and pedal muscles in tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus apella): Implications for hallucal grasping behavior and first metatarsal morphology in euprimates. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2015; 156:553-64. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2014] [Revised: 02/03/2015] [Accepted: 02/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Biren A. Patel
- Department of Cell and Neurobiology, Keck School of Medicine; University of Southern California; Los Angeles CA 90033
- Human and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences; University of Southern California; Los Angeles CA 90089
| | - Susan G. Larson
- Department of Anatomical Sciences; Stony Brook University School of Medicine; Stony Brook NY 17794
| | - Jack T. Stern
- Department of Anatomical Sciences; Stony Brook University School of Medicine; Stony Brook NY 17794
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