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⇱ Aegyptopithecus


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Aegyptopithecus

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Description

Aegyptopithecus ("Egyptian ape", from Greek Αίγυπτος "Egypt" and πίθηκος "ape") is an early fossil catarrhine that predates the divergence between hominoids (apes) and cercopithecids (Old World monkeys). It is known from a single species, Aegyptopithecus zeuxis, which lived around 38 million years ago in the early part of the Oligocene epoch. It likely resembled modern-day New World monkeys, and was about the same size as a modern howler monkey, which is about 56 to 92 cm (22 to 36 in) long. Aegyptopithecus fossils have been found in the Jebel Qatrani Formation of modern-day Egypt. Aegyptopithecus is believed to be a stem-catarrhine, a crucial link between Eocene and Miocene fossils.


Source Data
SourceIDLink
Global Biodiversity Information Facility ID (GBIF)4827090https://www.gbif.org/species/4827090
PaleoBioDB ID (PBDB)92594https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=92594
Rankgenus
Taxonomy (GBIF)Life : Animalia : Chordata : Mammalia : Primates : Pliopithecidae : Aegyptopithecus
Taxonomy (PBDB)Life : Animalia : Chordata : Mammalia : Primates : Propliopithecidae : Aegyptopithecus
Taxonomic Status (GBIF)accepted
Classification
(PBDB,GBIF)
RankNameAuthor
-Eukaryota
-OpisthokontaCavalier-Smith 1987
kingdomAnimalia
-TriploblasticaLankester 1877
-NephrozoaJondelius et al. 2002
-DeuterostomiaGrobben 1908
phylumChordataHaeckel 1847
subphylumVertebrataLamarck 1801
superclassGnathostomataGegenbauer 1874
-Osteichthyes
-SarcopterygiiRomer 1955
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha
subclassTetrapodomorpha
-Tetrapoda
-ReptiliomorphaSäve-Söderbergh 1934
-AnthracosauriaSäve-Söderbergh 1934
-Batrachosauria
-Cotylosauria
-AmniotaHaeckel 1866
-SynapsidaOsborn 1903
-Therapsida
infraorderCynodontia
-EpicynodontiaHopson and Kitching 2001
infraorderEucynodontiaKemp 1982
-ProbainognathiaHopson 1990
-MammaliamorphaRowe 1988
-MammaliaformesRowe 1988
classMammaliaLinnaeus 1758
orderPrimatesLinnaeus 1758
infraorderHaplorhini
-Anthropoidea
infraorderCatarrhiniGeoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1812
familyPropliopithecidaeStraus 1961
genusAegyptopithecusSimons 1965
Scientific NameAegyptopithecus Simons, 1965
Name Published InNature, Lond. 205
Opinions (PBDB)
NameRankOpinionEvidenceAuthor
Aegyptopithecusgenusbelongs to Pongidaestated with evidenceSimons, 1965
Aegyptopithecusgenusbelongs to Propliopithecidaestated with evidenceSimons et al., 1987
Aegyptopithecusgenusbelongs to Propliopithecoideastated without evidenceZalmout et al., 2010
Status (PBDB)extinct
Taxon Size (PBDB)2
First Recorded Appearance33.9 - 28.1 Ma
Oligocene
Last Recorded Appearance33.9 - 28.1 Ma
Oligocene
Environmentterrestrial (based on Mammalia)
Motilityactively mobile (based on Osteichthyes)
Dietomnivore (based on Primates)
Ecospace Commentsan arboreal quadruped
Taphonomyphosphatic (based on Vertebrata)
Primary Reference (PBDB)E. L. Simons. 1965. New fossil apes from Egypt and the initial differentiation of Hominoidea. Nature 205:135-139
Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegyptopithecus

Fossil Distribution

Subtaxa

NameStatusCommon Name(s)Fossil OccurrencesOldestYoungest
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Aegyptopithecus zeuxis
species
accepted (GBIF)
listed (PBDB)
233.9 Ma
Oligocene
33.9 Ma
Oligocene

Synonymy List

YearName and Author
1965Aegyptopithecus Simons p. 135
1987Aegyptopithecus Simons et al. p. 140
2004Aegyptopithecus Kay et al. p. 100
2010Aegyptopithecus Zalmout et al. pp. Supp. 4 figs. Table 2

References

Simons E. L. (1965) New fossil apes from Egypt and the initial differentiation of Hominoidea, Nature 205, 135-139
Simons E. L., Rasmussen D. T., et al (1987) A new species of Propliopithecus from the Fayum, Egypt, American Journal of Physical Anthropology 73 2, 139-147
Kay R. F., Williams B. A., et al (2004) Anthropoid origins: a phylogenetic analysis, in Anthropoid Origins: New Visions (eds. C.F. Ross and R.F. Kay), 91-135
Zalmout I. S., Sanders W. J., et al (2010) New Oligocene primate from Saudi Arabia and the divergence of apes and Old World monkeys, Nature 466, 360-364
Nature, Lond. 205 - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera
Nomenclator Zoologicus. A list of the names of genera and subgenera in zoology from the tenth edition of Linnaeus, 1758 to the end of 2004. Digitised by uBio from vols. 1-9 of Neave (ed.), 1939-1996 plus supplementary digital-only volume. http://ubio.org/NomenclatorZoologicus (as at 2006). - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera
SN2000/McKenna & Bell, 1997 - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera
SN2000: Brands, S. J. (compiler) 1989-2005. Systema Naturae 2000. Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2006 version). Available online at http://sn2000.taxonomy.nl/. - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera
as per family - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera
Data courtesy of: PBDB: The Paleobiology Database, Creative Commons CC-BY licenced. , GBIF: the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, various licences, iDigBio, various licences, and EOL: The Encyclopedia of Life (Open Data Public Domain). Because fossils are made of minerals too!
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