Nasal Anatomy of Paradolichopithecusgansuensis (Early Pleistocene, Longdan, China) with Comments on Phyletic Relationships among the Species of this Genus

Abstract

Paradolichopithecus was a large cercopithecine primate that existed in Eurasia from the middle Pliocene to the early Pleistocene. Para. arvernensis from the late Pliocene of Senèze, France, shows no maxillary sinus, whereas Para.sushkini from the late Pliocene of Kuruksay, Tajikistan, has this feature. In this study, we examined a new maxillary specimen of Para. gansuensis from the early Pleistocene of Longdan, China. The Longdan maxilla had lost its facial part, which exposed the internal floor of the nasal region. The nasal floor expands laterally, making the maxillary body thin at the P³–M² level and thick at the M³ level and extending to the maxillary tubercle. Such a topography is seen in the Senèze and Kuruksay crania. The Longdan maxilla shows no evidence of the formation of a maxillary sinus within the inferior portion of the thick maxillary body, as is seen in the Senèze cranium. Such a configuration could reflect the absence of a maxillary sinus in the Longdan specimen. Eastern Para. gansuensis might have dispersed eastward retaining a primitive condition, while central Para. sushkini would have acquired this feature independently in central Eurasia.

The remains of a large cercopithecid from the Lower Pleistocene locality of Karnezeika (southern Greece)

“…Dental remains of Paradolichopithecus are practically indistinguishable from Procynocephalus and their phylogenetic relationships along with the possibility of synonymy is still a matter of debate (see Simons 1970; Szalay & Delson 1979; Nishimura et al . 2010, 2014; Kostopoulos et al . 2018).…”

Morphology of the Bony Labyrinth Supports the Affinities of Paradolichopithecus with the Papionina

“…7). Some authors hypothesize they are synonymous (e.g., Kostopoulos et al ., 2018 ; Nishimura et al ., 2010 and ref. therein); others stress, however, the paucity of the available material for formal decisions (e.g., Jablonski, 2002 ; Szalay & Delson, 1979 ).…”

Nasal architecture in <i>Procynocephalus wimani</i> (Early Pleistocene, China) and implications for its phyletic relationship with <i>Paradolichopithecus</i>

“…sushkini from Kuruksay, Tajikistan, PIN3120-523 and 524, an adult female and a juvenile male (Nishimura et al, 2007); and the type specimen of Para. gansuensis from Longdan, Gansu, China, HMV1142, an adult male (Nishimura et al, 2010).…”

“…Para. gansuensis probably has no maxillary sinus (Nishimura et al, 2010). The maxillary sinus is a paranasal sinus that communicates with the middle meatus of the nasal cavity and pneumatizes the maxilla; this feature is considered to form only in macaques among the extant cercopithecoids including papionins (Koppe and Ohkawa, 1999;Rae et al, 2002;Ito et al, 2009).…”