An extinct monkey from Haiti and the origins of the Greater Antillean primates

Abstract

A new extinct Late Quaternary platyrrhine from Haiti, Insulacebus toussaintiana , is described here from the most complete Caribbean subfossil primate dentition yet recorded, demonstrating the likely coexistence of two primate species on Hispaniola. Like other Caribbean platyrrhines, I . toussaintiana exhibits primitive features resembling early Middle Miocene Patagonian fossils, reflecting an early derivation before the Amazonian community of modern New World anthropoids was configured. This, in combination with the young age of the fossils, provides a unique opportunity to examine a different parallel radiation of platyrrhines that survived into modern times, but is only distantly related to extant mainland forms. Their ecological novelty is indicated by their unique dental proportions, and by their relatively large estimated body weights, possibly an island effect, which places the group in a size class not exploited by mainland South American monkeys. Several features tie the new species to the extinct Jamaican monkey Xenothrix mcgregori , perhaps providing additional evidence for an inter-Antillean clade.

New endemic platyrrhine femur from Haiti: Description and locomotor analysis

“…While the Greater Antillean primate specimens are almost (see MacPhee et al, 2003) all sub-recent in age (Rímoli, 1977;MacPhee and Woods, 1982;MacPhee, 1984;Goodfriend and Mitterer, 1987;McFarlane et al, 2002), there is substantial evidence that platyrrhines invaded the Caribbean region early on in platyrrhine evolutionary history (Rosenberger, 1978(Rosenberger, , 2002MacPhee et al, 1995;Horovitz and MacPhee, 1999;Cooke et al, 2011). Regardless of the taxonomic position(s) of the Caribbean primates with regard to the three extant platyrrhine families, it is noted by all authors that the island forms show a unique combination of primitive and derived morphologies craniodentally (Rosenberger, 1977;Horovitz and MacPhee, 1999;MacPhee and Horovitz, 2004;Cooke, 2011;Cooke et al, 2011).…”

“…The Caribbean primates remain biogeographically and phylogenetically enigmatic (for a full discussion of Caribbean primate phylogeny see Rosenberger, 1977Rosenberger, , 2002MacPhee et al, 1995;MacPhee and Horovitz, 2004;Cooke et al, 2011;Rosenberger et al, 2011). While the Greater Antillean primate specimens are almost (see MacPhee et al, 2003) all sub-recent in age (Rímoli, 1977;MacPhee and Woods, 1982;MacPhee, 1984;Goodfriend and Mitterer, 1987;McFarlane et al, 2002), there is substantial evidence that platyrrhines invaded the Caribbean region early on in platyrrhine evolutionary history (Rosenberger, 1978(Rosenberger, , 2002MacPhee et al, 1995;Horovitz and MacPhee, 1999;Cooke et al, 2011).…”

Rethinking Antillothrix: The Mandible and Its Implications

“…Though we formerly thought Antillothrix was evidence that a nonpitheciid and non-atelid clade entered the Caribbean, our revised interpretation of this fossil cannot be considered as evidence of a third lineage. On the other hand, it strengthens the notion of inter-island exchange between Hispaniola and Jamaica [see Cooke et al, 2011].…”

“…appear to constitute a series of overlapping morphologies that are derived among platyrrhines and are either uniquely shared among them or exhibited elsewhere only among pitheciids, most notably Callicebus [see Cooke et al, 2011;Rosenberger et al, 2011].…”

“…and the genetic research arguing for a cebid relationship (here supported by S.B.C.). Among the extinct Caribbean taxa mentioned, Xenothrix and Insulacebus are classified as pitheciids [see Cooke et al, 2011], whereas Paralouatta is an atelid [Cooke, 2011;Rosenberger, 2002]. Other mainland extinct pitheciids mentioned below include Cebupithecia sarmientoi, Soriacebus ameghinorum, Homunculus patagonicus, Lagonimico conclucatus, Nuciruptor rubricae, and in some analyses [see Rosenberger et al, 2009], Aotus dindensis.…”