Mesopithecus (Primates,Cercopithecidae) from the turolian locality of Vathylakkos 2 (Macedonia,Greece)

Two skulls, two mandibles and some postcranials ofMesopithecus from the locality “Vathylakkos 2” of Axios Valley (Macedonia, Greece) enlarge our knowledge about the genus and its differentiation. The new material together with an old skull from the same locality is compared with the Pikermi, “Ravin des Zouaves 5” (Axios Valley), and Maramena (Serres basin) samples. It is concluded that the VathylakkosMesopithecus resemblesM. pentelicus from Pikermi, as wellM. delsoni from “Ravin des Zouaves 5” and it is referred asMesopithecus sp. aff.M. pentelicus. The biochronological age of “Vathylakkos 2” has been considered as MN 12, while recent magnetostratigraphic data indicate an age of about 7.5 Ma. This age confirms the position of the VathylakkosMesopithecus between Pikermi and “Ravin des Zouaves 5”. Some dental indices compared with those of the RecentCercopithecus suggest that the Vathylakkos sample is monospecific.