Aotus dindensis

Aotus dindensis is an extinct species of New World monkeys in the genus Aotus from the Middle Miocene (Laventan in the South American land mammal ages; 13.8 to 11.8 Ma). Its remains have been found at the Konzentrat-Lagerstätte of La Venta in the Honda Group of Colombia.[1]

Aotus dindensis
Temporal range: Middle Miocene (Laventan)
~13.8–11.8 Ma
↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Aotidae
Genus: Aotus
Species:
†A. dindensis
Binomial name
†Aotus dindensis
Setoguchi & Rosenberger 1987

Etymology

The species has been named after the locality its fossils have been found, the El Dinde site of the "Monkey Unit" in the Honda Group, Colombia.[2][3]

Description

Fossils of Aotus dindensis were discovered in 1986 in the Honda Group,[2] that has been dated to the Laventan, about 12.5 to 12.1 Ma.[4] The species is considered the oldest member of Aotus,[5] recognised for the almost identical mandibular and dental morphology.[6] It may be the ancestor of the extant Aotus species of South America,[7] though other authors consider the species a synonym of Mohanamico.[8]

The material consists of a left hemimandible, a left maxillary fragment preserving roots and lingual half of M3.[2] The dental parts of Aotus dindensis was more primitive than that of extant Aotus. As the night monkeys of today, Aotus dindensis probably had a similar nocturnal lifestyle, with a less specialised diet.[9] A body mass of 1,054 grams (2.324 lb) has been estimated for Aotus dindensis.[10]

The teeth of Aotus dindensis show a tendency for sexual dimorphism, which is degenerate in modern Aotus species. The species itself seems to have been nocturnal, but it is believed that the characteristics of its diurnal ancestors remained. [11]

The locomotion of Aotus, Callicebus, Cebupithecia and the Argentinian genus Dolichocebus has been described as primarily quadrupedal with some leaping.[12][5]

Evolution
See also: Evolution of primates

The evolutionary split in New World monkeys between Callitrichidae and Aotus has been estimated at 17.5 Ma.[13] The Early Miocene origin for the genus Aotus is the longest of primates, with only Macaca traceable to the Late Miocene, approximately eight million years ago.[14]

Habitat
See also: Honda Group, Colombia § Paleoclimate and vegetation

The Honda Group, and more precisely the "Monkey Beds", are the richest site for fossil primates in South America.[15] It has been argued that the monkeys of the Honda Group were living in habitat that was in contact with the Amazon and Orinoco Basins, and that La Venta itself was probably seasonally dry forest.[16] From the same level as where Aotus dindensis has been found, also fossils of Cebupithecia, Micodon, Mohanamico, Saimiri annectens, Saimiri fieldsi and Stirtonia tatacoensis have been uncovered.[17][18][19]

See also

References
  1. Aotus dindensis at Fossilworks.org
  2. Setoguchi & Rosenberger, 1988, p.1
  3. Gebo et al., 1990, p.737
  4. Defler, 2009, p.404
  5. Gebo et al., 1990, p.745
  6. Pérez et al., 2013, p.4
  7. Defler & Bueno, 2007, p.65
  8. Defler, 2004, p.34
  9. Setoguchi & Rosenberger, 1988, p.3
  10. Silvestro et al., 2017, p.14
  11. Takai et al., 2009
  12. Gebo et al., 1990, p.744
  13. Takai et al., 2001, p.304
  14. Setoguchi & Rosenberger, 1988, p.4
  15. Rosenberger & Hartwig, 2001, p.3
  16. Lynch Alfaro et al., 2015, p.520
  17. Luchterhand et al., 1986, p.1753
  18. Wheeler, 2010, p.133
  19. Setoguchi et al., 1986, p.762

Bibliography

Further reading
  • Fleagle, John G., and Alfred L. Rosenberger. 2013. The Platyrrhine Fossil Record, 1–256. Elsevier ISBN 9781483267074. Accessed 2017-10-21.
  • Hartwig, W.C., and D.J. Meldrum. 2002. The Primate Fossil Record - Miocene platyrrhines of the northern Neotropics, 175–188. Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-08141-2. Accessed 2017-09-24.
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