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Paranasal pneumatization in extant and fossil Cercopithecoidea
1Evolutionary Anthropology Research Group, Department of Anthropology, Durham University, 43 Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HN, UK. t.c.rae@durham.ac.uk
Journal of Human Evolution
|December 11, 2007
Summary
Maxillary sinus (MS) absence in Old World monkeys is due to suppression, not loss. This pneumatic space re-evolved convergently multiple times in cercopithecoids, notably in macaques.
Area of Science:
- Paleoanthropology
- Primate Anatomy
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Extant cercopithecoids (Old World monkeys) generally lack maxillary sinuses (MS), pneumatic spaces in the facial skeleton.
- Previous hypotheses suggested MS was lost early in cercopithecoid evolution and re-evolved convergently in macaques.
- Fossil evidence from Victoriapithecus, Paradolichopithecus, and Libypithecus provided initial insights into MS presence/absence patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively investigate the evolutionary history of maxillary sinuses in fossil and extant cercopithecoids.
- To determine the precise pattern of MS presence and absence across cercopithecoid subfamilies (Colobinae, Cercopithecinae).
- To refine hypotheses regarding the evolutionary mechanisms behind MS absence in this primate group.
Main Methods:
- Visual examination and computed tomography (CT) scanning of fossil cercopithecoid taxa from both subfamilies.
- Evaluation of anatomical criteria for defining sinus spaces.
- Comparison of findings with anatomical data from all extant Old World monkey genera.
Main Results:
- Most examined fossil taxa exhibited MS patterns consistent with extant cercopithecoids, with absence typical except in macaques.
- Fossil macaques (Macaca majori) and fossil colobines (Libypithecus) possessed maxillary sinuses, contrasting with most extant colobines.
- Maxillary sinus absence was observed in Theropithecus oswaldi, Mesopithecus, and Rhinocolobus, aligning with typical cercopithecid patterns.
Conclusions:
- Paranasal pneumatization, specifically the maxillary sinus, has re-emerged convergently at least twice, possibly three times, within cercopithecoids.
- The widespread absence of maxillary sinuses in cercopithecoids is likely due to developmental suppression rather than a complete genetic loss.
- Convergent evolution played a significant role in the reappearance of maxillary sinuses within different cercopithecoid lineages.
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