A reassessment of the taxonomic and phylogenetic affinities of the fossil catarrhines from fort Ternan,Kenya |
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Authors: | Terry Harrison |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25, Waverly Place, 10003 New York, New York, U. S. A. |
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Abstract: | This paper presents a reassessment of the taxonomic and phylogenetic affinities of the fossil catarrhine primates from the
important middle Miocene site of Fort Ternan in Kenya. Although the sample of specimens is rather small, the material can
be attributed to at least five different species, identified here asKenyapithecus wickeri, Proconsul sp., a large species of oreopithecid,Simiolus sp., and a small species of catarrhine of indeterminate status.Kenyapithecus wickeri probably represents a conservative sister-taxon of the extant large hominoids. It is more derived than“Sivapithecus” africanus from Maboko Island, from which it can be distinguished at the generic level. A small species of catarrhine from Fort Ternan
can be attributed toSimiolus. It is probably a different species fromSimiolus enjiessi from the early Miocene of East Africa, but additional material is needed to confirm its taxonomic distinctiveness. The occurrence
of at least five species of catarrhine primates at Fort Ternan confirms that species diversity levels were as high during
the middle Miocene as they had been during the early Miocene. However, the overall taxonomic and ecological composition of
the middle Miocene catarrhine community was quite different, evidently due to a significant change in the local ecological
setting. Taxonomic differences between the catarrhine faunas at Fort Ternan and Maboko Island can probably be explained as
a consequence of a chronological separation between the two sites, and, to a lesser degree, to paleoecological differences. |
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Keywords: | Catarrhines Hominoids East Africa Miocene Fort Ternan Taxonomy Phylogenetic relationships Kenyapithecus Simiolus Proconsul Oreopithecids |
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