Victoriapithecus: The key to Old World monkey and catarrhine origins

Abstract

The past ten years have witnessed major changes in reconstructions of the history of Old World monkeys, most of them driven by new material of the Miocene monkey Victoriapithecus from Maboko Island, Kenya. Before the mid‐1980s, predictions about the morphological and ecological adaptations of the earliest cercopithecoids relied heavily on evidence from extant colobine and cercopithecine monkeys. It was argued that the earliest cercopithecoids were largely or at least partly folivorous, had short colobine‐like faces, and were arboreal. The only studies suggesting that some of these arguments were not true were based on limited knowledge of the anatomy of Victoriapithecus. The presence of semi‐terrestrial adaptations in middle Miocene monkeys hinted to some that early monkeys may not have been arboreal. Others attempted to cope with the discrepancy between neontological predictions and the fossil evidence by proposing that limb bones with stronger terrestrial adaptations within the Maboko sample were derived cercopithecine remains, while those with more arboreal features belonged in the subfamily Colobinae and should be regarded as primitive.

Early guenon from the late Miocene Baynunah Formation, Abu Dhabi, with implications for cercopithecoid biogeography and evolution

“…Additional evidence of limited late Miocene cross-continental faunal exchange between Africa, Arabia, and Asia may also be provided by the bovid Prostrepsiceros cf. (43,45,61) for details]; species range, range of values among species averages within a given group. Flare measured as in Benefit (43,45,61) and lower values indicate higher degrees of flare.…”

“…(43,45,61) for details]; species range, range of values among species averages within a given group. Flare measured as in Benefit (43,45,61) and lower values indicate higher degrees of flare. Note that AUH 1321 is most similar to extant small-bodied guenons in M 1 size and shape.…”

New Fauna from Loperot Contributes to the Understanding of Early Miocene Catarrhine Communities

“…During the Middle Miocene Victoriapithecus macinnesi is very well known at Maboko, (Benefit 1999 ), but is not present at Fort Ternan. Miller et al ( 2009 ) At present it is difficult to evaluate why some sites preserve monkeys along with apes, whereas most preserve only one or the other.…”

Human Biological Evolution

“…As mentioned above, the African parapithecines Aegyptopithecus and Propliopithecus could be Oligocene forerunners of the Miocene Hominoidea, while the genus Victoricapithecus, which is known by abundant fossils from deposits at Maboko Island, Kenya, is a key to Old World Monkey and Catarrhine origins (Benefit 1999). This middle Miocene monkey exhibits semiterrestrial adaptations that may hint of a nonarboreal lifestyle.…”