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A new fossil cebine from Hispaniola
American Journal of Physical Anthropology
|August 1, 1982
Summary
Fossil primate discoveries in Haitian caves suggest a single cebine monkey species inhabited the Caribbean. Long-distance over-water rafting is the most plausible explanation for primate arrival in the West Indies.
Area of Science:
- Paleontology
- Primate Evolution
- Caribbean Biogeography
Background:
- Fossil Antillean primates are rare, with limited evidence of their presence.
- Primate fossils from the Caribbean are crucial for understanding primate dispersal and evolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a new fossil cebine monkey mandibular fragment from Haiti.
- To compare this fossil with other Antillean primate finds, particularly "Saimiri" bernensis.
- To investigate the biogeographical origins of primates in the West Indies.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of a fossil mandibular fragment from an early Holocene Haitian cave deposit.
- Comparative osteological analysis with known fossil and extant platyrrhine primates.
- Biogeographical modeling to assess dispersal mechanisms.
Main Results:
- The Haitian mandibular fragment is consistent in size with "Saimiri" bernensis from the Dominican Republic, suggesting a single species.
- The fossil primate's ancestry may be closer to Cebus than Saimiri.
- No close relationship was found between the Hispaniolan fossils and Xenothrix from Jamaica.
Conclusions:
- The discovery adds to the limited fossil record of Antillean primates.
- Over-water rafting from the Americas is the most probable mechanism for primate colonization of the Caribbean.
- Further fossil evidence is needed to confirm the taxonomic placement and evolutionary relationships of these primates.