Titre du document / Document title

Taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of early Miocene catarrhines from Sihong, China

Auteur(s) / Author(s)

HARRISON T. ⁽¹⁾ ; GU YUMIN ⁽²⁾ ;

Affiliation(s) du ou des auteurs / Author(s) Affiliation(s)

⁽¹⁾ Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, New York 10003, ETATS-UNIS
⁽²⁾ Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Academia Sinica, P.O. Box 643, Beijing, CHINE

Résumé / Abstract

Paleontological investigations at sites in Sihong County, Jiangsu Province, China since 1981 have yielded a sizeable collection of previously undescribed fossil catarrhines from the Xiacaowan Formation. The associated vertebrate fauna indicates a late early Miocene age (correlating with MN 4, late Orleanian of Europe, ∼ 17-18 Ma), which establishes the Sihong primates as the earliest known catarrhines from Eurasia. The fossil primates are assigned to two species: Dionysopithecus shuangouensis Li, 1978 and Platodontopithecus jianghuaiensis Gu & Lin, 1983. Although the new material from Sihong consists mainly of isolated teeth, it does provide important new information on the anatomy of Dionysopithecus and Platodontopithecus that helps to clarify their phylogenetic and taxonomic status. Previous studies have suggested that the Sihong catarrhines might be closely related to the proconsulids from the early Miocene of East Africa. However, with more extensive material available for comparison, the Sihong primates can now be shown to share a number of key derived features with pliopithecids. This new evidence helps to resolve a longstanding problem concerning the origins of the Pliopithecidae. It was previously considered that specialized pliopithecids migrated into Europe during MN 5, originating from an unknown antecedent and location in Africa. Recognition that the Sihong primates have affinities with pliopithecids, but are more primitive, suggests that the initial differentiation and diversification of the clade may have taken place in Asia rather than Africa. The earliest Eurasian catarrhines probably migrated into tropical Asia as part of a major faunal interchange with Africa that occurred during MN 3.

Revue / Journal Title

Journal of human evolution   ISSN 0047-2484 

Source / Source

1999, vol. 37, n^o2, pp. 225-277 (4 p.)

Langue / Language

Anglais

Editeur / Publisher

Elsevier, Kidlington, ROYAUME-UNI  (1972) (Revue)

Mots-clés anglais / English Keywords

simians ; lower Miocene ; Jiangsu China ; teeth ; anatomy ; phylogeny ; taxonomy ; paleobiogeography ; migration ; morphometry ; scanning electron microscopy ; SEM data ; paleoecology ; Primates ; Eutheria ; Theria ; Mammalia ; Tetrapoda ; Vertebrata ; Chordata ; Miocene ; Neogene ; upper Tertiary ; Tertiary ; Cenozoic ; Phanerozoic ; China ; Far East ; Asia ;

Mots-clés français / French Keywords

Simien ; Miocène inf ; Jiangsu ; Dent ; Anatomie ; Phylogénie ; Taxinomie ; Paléobiogéographie ; Migration ; Morphométrie ; Microscopie électronique balayage ; Donnée MEB ; Paléoécologie ; Catarrhines ; Sihong ; Formation Xiacaowan ; Dionysopithecus shuangouensis ; Platodontopithecus jianghuaiensis ; Pliopithecidae ; Primates ; Eutheria ; Theria ; Mammalia ; Tetrapoda ; Vertebrata ; Chordata ; Miocène ; Néogène ; Tertiaire sup ; Tertiaire ; Cénozoïque ; Phanérozoïque ; Chine ; Extrême Orient ; Asie ;

Mots-clés espagnols / Spanish Keywords

Simien ; Mioceno inf ; Kiangsú ; Diente ; Anatomía ; Filogenia ; Taxonomía ; Migración ; Dato MEB ; Paleoecología ; Primates ; Mammalia ; Tetrapoda ; Vertebrata ; Chordata ; Mioceno ; Neógeno ; Terciario ; Cenozoico ; Fanerozoico ; China ; Extremo Oriente ; Asia ;

Localisation / Location

INIST-CNRS, Cote INIST : 16050, 35400008614027.0040