Paradolichopithecus

Paradolichopithecus is an extinct genus of cercopithecine monkey once found throughout Eurasia. The type species, P. arvernensis, was a very large monkey, comparable in size to a mandrill. The genus was most closely related to macaques, sharing a very similar cranial morphology.[1] The fossils attributed to Paradolichopithecus are known from the Early Pliocene to the Early Pleistocene of Europe (France, Spain, Greece, Romania, and possibly Serbia) and Asia (Tadjikistan and China).[2] The East Asian fossil genus Procynocephalus is considered by some to represent a senior synonym of Paradolichopithecus.[3]

Paradolichopithecus
Temporal range: Pliocene-Early Pleistocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Cercopithecidae
Subfamily: Cercopithecinae
Tribe: Papionini
Genus: †Paradolichopithecus
Necrasov, Samson & Radulesco, 1961
Type species
†Paradolichopithecus arvernensis
(Depéret, 1929)
Species

†P. gansuensis
†P. sushkini

Paradolichopithecus was a terrestrial monkey generally believed to have developed a large body size as a response to predator pressure. Despite its close relation to macaques, it also shared a number of postcranial features with baboons. Its ankle joints also show a remarkable similarity with that of the hominid Australopithecus, and it has led to the idea that Paradolichopithecus may frequently have moved in a bipedal stance.[4]

References
  1. Nishimura, TD.;(2010). Nasal anatomy of Paradolichopithecus gansuensis (early Pleistocene, Longdan, China) with comments on phyletic relationships among the species of this genus
  2. Radović, Predrag; Lindal, Joshua; Marković, Zoran; Alaburić, Sanja; Roksandic, Mirjana (December 2019). "First record of a fossil monkey (Primates, Cercopithecidae) from the Late Pliocene of Serbia". Journal of Human Evolution. 137: 102681. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102681.
  3. Kostopoulos, Dimitris S.; Guy, Franck; Kynigopoulou, Zoi; Koufos, George D.; Valentin, Xavier; Merceron, Gildas (August 2018). "A 2Ma old baboon-like monkey from Northern Greece and new evidence to support the Paradolichopithecus – Procynocephalus synonymy (Primates: Cercopithecidae)". Journal of Human Evolution. 121: 178–192. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.02.012.
  4. Van Der Greer, A. A. E.; (2002) The postcranial elements of Paradolichopithecus arvernensis (Primates, Cercopithecidae, Papionini) from Lesvos, Greece


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