1
|
Bouchet F, Zanolli C, Urciuoli A, Almécija S, Fortuny J, Robles JM, Beaudet A, Moyà-Solà S, Alba DM. The Miocene primate Pliobates is a pliopithecoid. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2822. [PMID: 38561329 PMCID: PMC10984959 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47034-9] [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: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The systematic status of the small-bodied catarrhine primate Pliobates cataloniae, from the Miocene (11.6 Ma) of Spain, is controversial because it displays a mosaic of primitive and derived features compared with extant hominoids (apes and humans). Cladistic analyses have recovered Pliobates as either a stem hominoid or as a pliopithecoid stem catarrhine (i.e., preceding the cercopithecoid-hominoid divergence). Here, we describe additional dental remains of P. cataloniae from another locality that display unambiguous synapomorphies of crouzeliid pliopithecoids. Our cladistic analyses support a close phylogenetic link with poorly-known small crouzeliids from Europe based on (cranio)dental characters but recover pliopithecoids as stem hominoids when postcranial characters are included. We conclude that Pliobates is a derived stem catarrhine that shows postcranial convergences with modern apes in the elbow and wrist joints-thus clarifying pliopithecoid evolution and illustrating the plausibility of independent acquisition of postcranial similarities between hylobatids and hominids.
Collapse
Grants
- This publication is part of R+D+I projects PID2020-116908GB-I00 (to S.M.S. and J.M.R.), PID2020-117289GB-I00 (to D.M.A. and J.M.R.), and PID2020-117118GB-I00 (to J.F.), funded by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación of the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación from Spain (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/). Research has also been funded by the Generalitat de Catalunya/CERCA Programme (to F.B., A.U., S.A., J.F., J.M.R., S.M.S., and D.M.A.); the Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Consolidated Research Groups 2022 SGR 00620 to D.M.A. and J.M.R., 2022 SGR 01184 to J.F., and 2022 SGR 01188 to S.M.S.); the Departament de Cultura of the Generalitat de Catalunya (CLT009/18/00071 to S.M.S. and CLT0009_22_000018 to D.M.A.); a predoctoral grant from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (PRE2018-083299 to F.B.); a Margarita Salas postdoctoral fellowship funded by the European Union NextGenerationEU to A.U.; and a Ramón y Cajal grant (RYC2021-032857-I) financed by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación of the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación from Spain (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) and the European Union «NextGenerationEU» / PRTR to J.F.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Florian Bouchet
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP-CERCA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Clément Zanolli
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, MCC, PACEA, UMR 5199, F-33600, Pessac, France
| | - Alessandro Urciuoli
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP-CERCA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Division of Palaeoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Universidad de Alcalá, Cátedra de Otoacústica Evolutiva y Paleoantropología (HM Hospitales-UAH), Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, 28871 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sergio Almécija
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP-CERCA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, 10024, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Josep Fortuny
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP-CERCA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep M Robles
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP-CERCA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amélie Beaudet
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Évolution, Paléoécosystèmes et Paléoprimatologie (PALEVOPRIM), UMR 7262 CNRS, Univ. Poitiers, Poitiers, France
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1QH, United Kingdom
- School of Geography, Archaeology, and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, WITS, 2050, South Africa
| | - Salvador Moyà-Solà
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP-CERCA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, 08010, Barcelona, Spain
- Unitat d'Antropologia Biològica (Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David M Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP-CERCA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Post NW, Gilbert CC, Pugh KD, Mongle CS. Implications of outgroup selection in the phylogenetic inference of hominoids and fossil hominins. J Hum Evol 2023; 184:103437. [PMID: 37783198 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the phylogenetic relationships among hominins and other hominoid species is critical to the study of human origins. However, phylogenetic inferences are dependent on both the character data and taxon sampling used. Previous studies of hominin phylogenetics have used Papio and Colobus as outgroups in their analyses; however, these extant monkeys possess many derived traits that may confound the polarities of morphological changes among living apes and hominins. Here, we consider Victoriapithecus and Ekembo as more suitable outgroups. Both Victoriapithecus and Ekembo are anatomically well known and are widely accepted as morphologically primitive stem cercopithecoid and hominoid taxa, respectively, making them more appropriate for inferring polarity for later-occurring hominoid- and hominin-focused analyses. Craniodental characters for both taxa were scored and then added to a previously published matrix of fossil hominin and extant hominoid taxa, replacing outgroups Papio and Colobus over a series of iterative analyses using both parsimony and Bayesian inference methods. Neither the addition nor replacement of outgroup taxa changed tree topology in any analysis. Importantly, however, bootstrap support values and posterior probabilities for nodes supporting their relationships generally increased compared to previous analyses. These increases were the highest at extant hominoid and basal hominin nodes, recovering the molecular ape phylogeny with considerably higher support and strengthening the inferred relationships among basal hominins. Interestingly, however, the inclusion of both extant and fossil outgroups reduced support for the crown hominid node. Our findings suggest that, in addition to improving character polarity estimation, including fossil outgroups generally strengthens confidence in relationships among extant hominoid and basal hominins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas W Post
- Richard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA; Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Christopher C Gilbert
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, NY 10024, USA; Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065-5024, USA; PhD Program in Anthropology, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 365 5th Ave, New York, NY 10016-4309, USA; Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA
| | - Kelsey D Pugh
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, NY 10024, USA; Department of Anthropology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210, USA
| | - Carrie S Mongle
- Division of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA; Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA; Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
MacLatchy LM, Cote SM, Deino AL, Kityo RM, Mugume AAT, Rossie JB, Sanders WJ, Cosman MN, Driese SG, Fox DL, Freeman AJ, Jansma RJW, Jenkins KEH, Kinyanjui RN, Lukens WE, McNulty KP, Novello A, Peppe DJ, Strömberg CAE, Uno KT, Winkler AJ, Kingston JD. The evolution of hominoid locomotor versatility: Evidence from Moroto, a 21 Ma site in Uganda. Science 2023; 380:eabq2835. [PMID: 37053310 DOI: 10.1126/science.abq2835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Living hominoids are distinguished by upright torsos and versatile locomotion. It is hypothesized that these features evolved for feeding on fruit from terminal branches in forests. To investigate the evolutionary context of hominoid adaptive origins, we analyzed multiple paleoenvironmental proxies in conjunction with hominoid fossils from the Moroto II site in Uganda. The data indicate seasonally dry woodlands with the earliest evidence of abundant C4 grasses in Africa based on a confirmed age of 21 million years ago (Ma). We demonstrate that the leaf-eating hominoid Morotopithecus consumed water-stressed vegetation, and postcrania from the site indicate ape-like locomotor adaptations. These findings suggest that the origin of hominoid locomotor versatility is associated with foraging on leaves in heterogeneous, open woodlands rather than forests.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura M MacLatchy
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Susanne M Cote
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Alan L Deino
- Berkeley Geochronology Center, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA
| | - Robert M Kityo
- Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Amon A T Mugume
- Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
- Uganda National Museum, Department of Museums and Monuments, Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Kampala, Uganda
| | - James B Rossie
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - William J Sanders
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Miranda N Cosman
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Steven G Driese
- Department of Geosciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
| | - David L Fox
- Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - April J Freeman
- Department of Geosciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
| | - Rutger J W Jansma
- Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Kirsten E H Jenkins
- Department of Social Sciences, Tacoma Community College, Tacoma, WA 98466, USA
| | - Rahab N Kinyanjui
- Earth Sciences Department, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Jena D-07743, Germany
- Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | - William E Lukens
- Department of Geology & Environmental Science, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, USA
| | - Kieran P McNulty
- Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Alice Novello
- CEREGE, Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, Collège de France, INRAE, Aix en Provence, France
- Department of Biology & Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Daniel J Peppe
- Department of Geosciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
| | - Caroline A E Strömberg
- Department of Biology & Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Kevin T Uno
- Division of Biology and Paleo Environment, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA
| | - Alisa J Winkler
- Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275, USA
- Section of Anatomy, Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - John D Kingston
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Urciuoli A, Alba DM. Systematics of Miocene apes: State of the art of a neverending controversy. J Hum Evol 2023; 175:103309. [PMID: 36716680 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103309] [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: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Hominoids diverged from cercopithecoids during the Oligocene in Afro-Arabia, initially radiating in that continent and subsequently dispersing into Eurasia. From the Late Miocene onward, the geographic range of hominoids progressively shrank, except for hominins, which dispersed out of Africa during the Pleistocene. Although the overall picture of hominoid evolution is clear based on available fossil evidence, many uncertainties persist regarding the phylogeny and paleobiogeography of Miocene apes (nonhominin hominoids), owing to their sparse record, pervasive homoplasy, and the decimated current diversity of this group. We review Miocene ape systematics and evolution by focusing on the most parsimonious cladograms published during the last decade. First, we provide a historical account of the progress made in Miocene ape phylogeny and paleobiogeography, report an updated classification of Miocene apes, and provide a list of Miocene ape species-locality occurrences together with an analysis of their paleobiodiversity dynamics. Second, we discuss various critical issues of Miocene ape phylogeny and paleobiogeography (hylobatid and crown hominid origins, plus the relationships of Oreopithecus) in the light of the highly divergent results obtained from cladistic analyses of craniodental and postcranial characters separately. We conclude that cladistic efforts to disentangle Miocene ape phylogeny are potentially biased by a long-branch attraction problem caused by the numerous postcranial similarities shared between hylobatids and hominids-despite the increasingly held view that they are likely homoplastic to a large extent, as illustrated by Sivapithecus and Pierolapithecus-and further aggravated by abundant missing data owing to incomplete preservation. Finally, we argue that-besides the recovery of additional fossils, the retrieval of paleoproteomic data, and a better integration between cladistics and geometric morphometrics-Miocene ape phylogenetics should take advantage of total-evidence (tip-dating) Bayesian methods of phylogenetic inference combining morphologic, molecular, and chronostratigraphic data. This would hopefully help ascertain whether hylobatid divergence was more basal than currently supported.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Urciuoli
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Division of Palaeoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 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, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Rossie JB, Cote SM. Additional hominoid fossils from the early Miocene of the Lothidok Formation, Kenya. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022; 179:261-275. [PMID: 36790670 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2020] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Hominoid fossils are abundant at early Miocene fossil sites in the Lothidok Range, located directly west of Lake Turkana in northern Kenya. The West Turkana Miocene Project (WTMP) has worked in the Lothidok Range since 2008 with the goal of further elucidating the paleobiology of the hominoids through the recovery of new specimens and detailed documentation of their paleoecological context. To date our research has focused largely on the Kalodirr and Moruorot Site Complexes, both radiometrically dated to ~17.5-16.8 Ma. MATERIALS AND METHODS Our ongoing fieldwork at the Kalodirr Site Complex resulted in the discovery of new dentognathic specimens of the three previously identified species of fossil hominoids-Turkanapithecus kalakolensis, Simiolus enjiessi, and Afropithecus turkanensis. RESULTS A new mandible and an isolated M3 of T. kalakolensis from Kalodirr further clarify the lower molar morphology of the species and permit identification of KNM-MO 1 as a mandible of T. kalakolensis. A new mandible of S. enjiessi provides evidence of the relative proportions of the first and second lower molars. A new male specimen of A. turkanensis shows unusual P4 morphology that may be a developmental anomaly or a previously unknown morphological variant. DISCUSSION An improved understanding of the lower molar morphology of T. kalakolensis further strengthens its identification as a nyanzapithecine. Our new specimens and subsequent re-identification of existing collections makes it clear that all three Lothidok hominoids are known from both the Moruorot and Kalodirr Site Complexes. The Lothidok Range holds great promise for further documenting hominoid evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James B Rossie
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Susanne M Cote
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Bouchet F, Urciuoli A, Beaudet A, Pina M, Moyà-Solà S, Alba DM. Comparative anatomy of the carotid canal in the Miocene small-bodied catarrhine Pliobates cataloniae. J Hum Evol 2021; 161:103073. [PMID: 34628300 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The small-bodied Miocene catarrhine Pliobates cataloniae (11.6 Ma, Spain) displays a mosaic of catarrhine symplesiomorphies and hominoid synapomorphies that hinders deciphering its phylogenetic relationships. Based on cladistic analyses, it has been interpreted as a stem hominoid or as a pliopithecoid. Intriguingly, the carotid canal orientation of Pliobates was originally described as hylobatid-like. The variation in carotid canal morphology among anthropoid clades shown in previous studies suggests that this structure might be phylogenetically informative. However, its potential for phylogenetic reconstruction among extinct catarrhines remains largely unexplored. Here we quantify the orientation, proportions, and course of the carotid canal in Pliobates, extant anthropoids and other Miocene catarrhines (Epipliopithecus, Victoriapithecus, and Ekembo) using three-dimensional morphometric techniques. We also compute phylogenetic signal and reconstruct the ancestral carotid canal course for main anthropoid clades. Our results reveal that carotid canal morphology embeds strong phylogenetic signal but mostly discriminates between platyrrhines and catarrhines, with an extensive overlap among extant catarrhine families. The analyzed extinct taxa display a quite similar carotid canal morphology more closely resembling that of extant catarrhines. Nevertheless, our results for Pliobates highlight some differences compared with the pliopithecid Epipliopithecus, which displays a somewhat more platyrrhine-like morphology. In contrast, Pliobates appears as derived toward the modern catarrhine condition as the stem cercopithecid Victoriapithecus and the stem hominoid Ekembo, which more closely resemble one another. Moreover, Pliobates appears somewhat derived toward the reconstructed ancestral hominoid morphotype, being more similar than other Miocene catarrhines to the condition of great apes and the hylobatid Symphalangus. Overall, our results rule out previously noted similarities in carotid canal morphology between Pliobates and hylobatids, but do not show particular similarities with pliopithecoids either-as opposed to extant and other extinct catarrhines. Additional analyses will be required to clarify the phylogenetic relationships of Pliobates, particularly given its dental similarities with dendropithecids.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Florian Bouchet
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Alessandro Urciuoli
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amélie Beaudet
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, The Old Schools, Trinity Lane, Cambridge CB2 1TN, UK; School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Braamfontein 2000, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Anatomy, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Hatfield 0002, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Marta Pina
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Williamson Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Salvador Moyà-Solà
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig de Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain; Unitat d'Antropologia (Dept. BABVE), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici C, Facultat de Biociències, Campus de la UAB, 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, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Locke EM, Benefit BR, Kimock CM, Miller ER, Nengo I. New dentognathic fossils of Noropithecus bulukensis (Primates, Victoriapithecidae) from the late Early Miocene of Buluk, Kenya. J Hum Evol 2020; 148:102886. [PMID: 33031954 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The late Early Miocene site of Buluk, Kenya, has yielded fossil remains of several catarrhine primates, including 16 dentognathic specimens of the stem cercopithecoid Noropithecus bulukensis. With the exception of the large sample of Victoriapithecus macinnesi from the middle Miocene of Maboko Island, Kenya, the majority of stem cercopithecoid taxa are represented by small sample sizes. We describe and analyze 91 new cercopithecoid fossils collected from Buluk between 2004 and 2018, including several previously undescribed tooth positions for N. bulukensis, and provide the first evaluation of dental metric and morphological variation in this sample. The results show that the expanded Buluk sample exhibits high levels of dental variation in the postcanine tooth row, similar to V. macinnesi at Maboko, but this variation is consistent with a single-species hypothesis. Subtle differences in the shape of the I1, breadth of the C1 and P3, relative breadth of M1, upper and lower molar distal shelf lengths, the degree of M2 basal flare, and a less-developed lower molar distal lophid differentiate the dentition of N. bulukensis from V. macinnesi. Although differences exist between the N. bulukensis and V. macinnesi dental samples, the high degree of variation within each sample complicates the identification of many individual specimens. New partial maxillae and mandibles allow reassessment of previously described diagnostic differences between N. bulukensis and V. macinnesi, negating upper molar arcade shape as a diagnostic feature and confirming the existence of differences in mandibular symphyseal morphology. Overall, new fossils from Buluk provide new evidence of the dentognathic anatomy of a medium-sized cercopithecoid that coexisted with a diverse group of noncercopithecoid catarrhines at the end of the early Miocene.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ellis M Locke
- Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85282, USA; School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85282, USA.
| | - Brenda R Benefit
- Department of Anthropology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, 88003, USA
| | - Clare M Kimock
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Ellen R Miller
- Department of Anthropology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27106, USA
| | - Isaiah Nengo
- Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Rasmussen DT, Friscia AR, Gutierrez M, Kappelman J, Miller ER, Muteti S, Reynoso D, Rossie JB, Spell TL, Tabor NJ, Gierlowski-Kordesch E, Jacobs BF, Kyongo B, Macharwas M, Muchemi F. Primitive Old World monkey from the earliest Miocene of Kenya and the evolution of cercopithecoid bilophodonty. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:6051-6056. [PMID: 30858323 PMCID: PMC6442627 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1815423116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Old World monkeys (Cercopithecoidea) are a highly successful primate radiation, with more than 130 living species and the broadest geographic range of any extant group except humans. Although cercopithecoids are highly variable in habitat use, social behavior, and diet, a signature dental feature unites all of its extant members: bilophodonty (bi: two, loph: crest, dont: tooth), or the presence of two cross-lophs on the molars. This feature offers an adaptable Bauplan that, with small changes to its individual components, permits its members to process vastly different kinds of food. Old World monkeys diverged from apes perhaps 30 million years ago (Ma) according to molecular estimates, and the molar lophs are sometimes incompletely developed in fossil species, suggesting a mosaic origin for this key adaptation. However, critical aspects of the group's earliest evolution remain unknown because the cercopithecoid fossil record before ∼18 Ma consists of only two isolated teeth, one from Uganda and one from Tanzania. Here we describe a primitive Old World monkey from Nakwai, Kenya, dated at ∼22 Ma, that offers direct evidence for the initial key steps in the evolution of the cercopithecoid dentition. The simple dentition and absence of bilophodonty in the Nakwai monkey indicate that the initial radiation of Old World monkeys was first characterized by a reorganization of basic molar morphology, and a reliance on cusps rather than lophs suggests frugivorous diets and perhaps hard object feeding. Bilophodonty evolved later, likely in response to the inclusion of leaves in the diet.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D Tab Rasmussen
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899
| | - Anthony R Friscia
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7246
| | - Mercedes Gutierrez
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - John Kappelman
- Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas,Austin, TX 78712;
- Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712
| | - Ellen R Miller
- Department of Anthropology, Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, NC 27109-7807
| | - Samuel Muteti
- Palaeontology Section, National Museums of Kenya, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Dawn Reynoso
- Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4010
| | - James B Rossie
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794
| | - Terry L Spell
- Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4010
| | - Neil J Tabor
- Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275-0395
| | | | - Bonnie F Jacobs
- Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275-0395
| | - Benson Kyongo
- Palaeontology Section, National Museums of Kenya, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Mathew Macharwas
- Palaeontology Section, National Museums of Kenya, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Francis Muchemi
- Palaeontology Section, National Museums of Kenya, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
| |
Collapse
|