New late middle Eocene anthropoids from Dur At-Talah, Libya: Implications for early primate dispersal into...

Eocene anthropoids from Afro-Arabia are central to understanding the early evolutionary history and paleobiogeography of higher primates. However, the timing and pattern of their initial dispersal into Africa remain debated. Fossil evidence from several northern African Eocene localities indicates an unexpectedly early diversification of anthropoids, giving rise to two alternative scenarios: a single dispersal of an Asian stem anthropoid followed by rapid in situ radiation or multiple independent dispersals of distinct Asian clades before the late middle Eocene. The late middle Eocene (∼39-38 Ma) locality of Dur At-Talah, Libya, provides critical evidence for evaluating these hypotheses. Previously, three anthropoids were reported from the site: Biretia piveteaui (basal parapithecid), Talahpithecus parvus (early oligopithecid), and Afrotarsius libycus (stem eosimiiform). Here, we describe additional anthropoid materials that reveal greater taxonomic diversity than previously recognized. We establish a new taxon, Saharopithecus salemi gen. et sp. nov., a morphologically distinctive form of uncertain phylogenetic position that shares molar characters with both proteopithecids and propliopithecids. Additional specimens are referred to Talahpithecus sp. and Afrotarsius sp., increasing the documented anthropoid diversity at Dur At-Talah to at least four taxa. The mosaic of primitive and derived dental characters observed in the new taxon supports the hypothesis that multiple Asian anthropoid lineages independently colonized Afro-Arabia by the late middle Eocene. These findings establish Dur At-Talah as the most taxonomically diverse Bartonian anthropoid locality currently known in Afro-Arabia and highlight the importance of continued paleontological exploration in the region for resolving early anthropoid biogeographic history.