[PaleoAnthropology • 2015]
Pliobates cataloniae • Miocene Small-bodied Ape from Eurasia sheds light on Hominoid Evolution
ABSTRACT
Miocene small-bodied anthropoid primates from Africa and Eurasia are
generally considered to precede the divergence between the two groups of
extant catarrhines—hominoids (apes and humans) and Old World
monkeys—and are thus viewed as more primitive than the stem ape
Proconsul. Here we describe Pliobates cataloniae gen. et sp. nov.,
a small-bodied (4 to 5 kilograms) primate from the Iberian Miocene
(11.6 million years ago) that displays a mosaic of primitive
characteristics coupled with multiple cranial and postcranial shared
derived features of extant hominoids. Our cladistic analyses show that Pliobates is
a stem hominoid that is more derived than previously described small
catarrhines and Proconsul. This forces us to reevaluate the role played
by small-bodied catarrhines in ape evolution and provides key insight
into the last common ancestor of hylobatids (gibbons) and hominids
(great apes and humans).
STRUCTURED ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
Reconstructing the ancestral morphotype from which extant hominoids
(apes and humans) evolved is complicated by the mosaic nature of ape
evolution, the confounding effects of independently evolved features
(homoplasy), and the virtual lack of hylobatids (gibbons and siamangs)
in the Miocene fossil record. For several decades, small-bodied
anthropoid primates from Africa and Eurasia have not played an important
role in this debate, because they generally lack the shared derived
features of extant catarrhines (hominoids and Old World monkeys) and are
thus considered to precede their divergence. Even some small-bodied
catarrhines from Africa (dendropithecids), considered to be stem
hominoids by some authors, are viewed as more primitive than the
larger-bodied stem ape Proconsul. This has led to the assumption that
hylobatids are a dwarfed lineage that evolved from a larger-bodied and
more great ape–like common ancestor with hominids (great apes and
humans).
RATIONALE
Here we describe a new genus of small-bodied (4 to 5 kg) ape from the
Miocene (11.6 Ma), discovered in the Abocador de Can Mata stratigraphic
series (Vallès-Penedès Basin, northeast Iberian Peninsula), that
challenges current views on the last common ancestor of extant
hominoids. This genus is based on a partial skeleton that enables a
reliable reconstruction of cranial morphology and a detailed assessment
of elbow and wrist anatomy. It exhibits a mosaic of primitive (stem
catarrhine–like) and derived (extant hominoid–like) features that forces
us to reevaluate the role played by small-bodied catarrhines in ape
evolution.
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Superfamily: Hominoidea
Family: Pliobatidae Alba et al. 2015
Genus: Pliobates Alba et al. 2015
Species: Pliobates cataloniae Alba et al. 2015
Reconstruction of the skull (front and side view) and representation of life appearance of Pliobates cataloniae are shown.
Credit: Marta Palmero / Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont
|
Long bones from the left arm of Pliobates cataloniae. Humerus (A), radius (B) and ulna (C).
photos: Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP)
|
RESULTS
The new genus retains some features that are suggestive of generalized
above-branch quadrupedalism, but it possesses more extensive
hominoid-like postcranial features (mostly related to enhanced forearm
rotation and ulnar deviation capabilities) than those convergently
displayed by atelids. Its overall body plan is more compatible with an
emphasis on cautious and eclectic climbing, combined with some degree of
below-branch forelimb-dominated suspension (although less acrobatic
than in extant gibbons). Its relative brain size implies a monkey-like
degree of encephalization (similar to that of hylobatids but below that
of great apes), and dental microwear indicates a frugivorous diet. From a
phylogenetic viewpoint, the new genus combines craniodental and
postcranial primitive features (similar to those of dendropithecids)
with multiple derived cranial and postcranial features shared with
extant hominoids. Some cranial similarities with gibbons would support a
closer phylogenetic link between the new genus and hylobatids. However,
this possibility is not supported by the total evidence. A cladistic
analysis based on more than 300 craniodental and postcranial features
reveals that the new genus is a stem hominoid (preceding the divergence
between hylobatids and hominids), although more derived than previously
known small catarrhines and Proconsul.
CONCLUSION
As the first known Miocene small-bodied catarrhine to share abundant
derived features with extant hominoids, the new genus indicates a
greater morphological diversity than previously recognized among this
heterogeneous group, and it provides key insight into the last common
ancestor of hylobatids and hominids. Our cladistic results, coupled with
the chronology and location of the new genus, suggest that it
represents a late-surviving offshoot of a small African stem hominoid
that is more closely related to crown hominoids than Proconsul is. These
results suggest that, at least in size and cranial morphology, the last
common ancestor of extant hominoids might have been more gibbon-like
(less great ape–like) than generally assumed.
D. M. Alba, S. Almecija, D. DeMiguel, J. Fortuny, M. P. de los Rios, M.
Pina, J. M. Robles, S. Moya-Sola. 2015. Miocene Small-bodied Ape from
Eurasia sheds light on Hominoid Evolution. Science. 350 (6260): aab2625. DOI: 10.1126/science.aab2625
Meet your gibbon cousin
Apes are divided into two groups: larger-bodied apes, or hominoids, such
as humans, chimps, and gorillas; and smaller-bodied hylobatids, such as
gibbons. These two lineages are thought to have diverged rather
cleanly, sharing few similarities after the emergence of crown
hominoids. Alba et al. describe a new ape from the Miocene era that
contains characteristics from both hominoids and small-bodied apes (see
the Perspective by Benefit and McCrossin). Thus, early small-bodied apes
may have contributed more to the evolution of the hominoid lineage than
previously assumed.
New Fossil Suggests We Had A Gibbon-Like Early Ancestor | IFLScience http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/new-fossil-suggests-we-had-gibbon-early-ancestor
A new primate species at the root of the tree of extant hominoids http://phy.so/365332715 via @physorg_com
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