Early anthropoid primates: New data and new questions

Area of Science:

• Paleontology
• Primate Evolution
• Biogeography

Background:

• The evolutionary history of anthropoid primates (monkeys, apes, and humans) is not fully understood, particularly their origins and early diversification.
• While fossil records exist, gaps in data present challenges in reconstructing the early evolution and dispersal of these primates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and discuss the earliest known anthropoid primate records from Asia, Africa, and South America.
• To investigate the origins and early evolutionary pathways of anthropoid primates, addressing existing debates and uncertainties.

Main Methods:

• Review of paleontological data and fossil records of early anthropoids.
• Phylogenetic analysis incorporating evidence from anthropoids and other mammalian groups.
• Examination of geological and paleogeographical data to infer dispersal routes.

Main Results:

• New fossil discoveries provide strong evidence supporting an Asian origin for anthropoid primates.
• The earliest anthropoid records from Africa and South America are still debated, with unclear evolutionary histories.
• Evidence suggests multiple dispersal events between South Asia and Afro-Arabia occurred from the middle Eocene to the early Oligocene.

Conclusions:

• The Asian origin of anthropoid primates is strongly supported by current fossil evidence.
• Further research is needed to clarify the early evolution and dispersal of African and South American anthropoids, especially platyrrhines.
• A microplate in the Neotethys Ocean may have facilitated overseas dispersal events between continents.