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Miocene small-bodied ape from Eurasia sheds light on hominoid evolution
David M Alba1, Sergio Almécija2, Daniel DeMiguel1
1Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Edifici ICTA-ICP, Carrer de les Columnes sense número, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|October 31, 2015
Summary
A new fossil primate, Pliobates cataloniae, from the Miocene epoch reveals a mosaic of primitive and derived traits. This discovery reshapes our understanding of early hominoid evolution and the ancestry of apes and humans.
Area of Science:
- Paleoprimatology
- Primate Evolution
- Fossil Discoveries
Background:
- Miocene small-bodied anthropoid primates from Africa and Eurasia are typically considered ancestral to extant catarrhines (hominoids and Old World monkeys).
- These early primates are often viewed as more primitive than the stem ape Proconsul.
- The evolutionary position of small-bodied catarrhines in relation to hominoid origins has been a subject of ongoing research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a newly discovered small-bodied primate from the Iberian Miocene, Pliobates cataloniae gen. et sp. nov.
- To analyze the phylogenetic position of Pliobates cataloniae within the primate evolutionary tree.
- To reevaluate the role of small catarrhines in ape evolution and gain insights into the last common ancestor of hylobatids and hominids.
Main Methods:
- Description of fossil remains of Pliobates cataloniae, including cranial and postcranial elements.
- Application of cladistic analyses to determine the phylogenetic relationships of Pliobates cataloniae.
- Comparison of Pliobates cataloniae's features with those of other Miocene primates and extant catarrhines.
Main Results:
- Pliobates cataloniae is a small-bodied primate (4-5 kg) from the 11.6-million-year-old Iberian Miocene.
- The fossil exhibits a mosaic of primitive characteristics alongside shared derived features of extant hominoids.
- Cladistic analyses place Pliobates cataloniae as a stem hominoid, more derived than Proconsul and other previously described small catarrhines.
Conclusions:
- Pliobates cataloniae represents a significant stem hominoid, challenging previous assumptions about early ape evolution.
- The discovery necessitates a reevaluation of the evolutionary contributions of small-bodied catarrhines to hominoid diversification.
- This finding provides crucial insights into the characteristics of the last common ancestor of gibbons and great apes/humans.
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