The evolution of the Cercopithecini: a (post)modern synthesis

Abstract

The Cercopithecini, or African guenon monkeys, are one of the most diverse clades of living primates and comprise the most species-rich clade of Catarrhini. Species identity is announced by flamboyant coloration of the facial and genital regions and, more cryptically, by vigorous chromosomal rearrangements among taxa. Beneath the skin, however, these animals are skeletally conservative and show low levels of genetic sequence divergence consonant with recent divergence between congeneric species. The guenons clearly demonstrate that morphological, cytogenetic, and reproductive differentiation proceed at different rates during speciation. We review diverse kinds of data in an effort to understand this conundrum.

Halibee fossil assemblages reveal later Pleistocene cercopithecins (Cercopithecidae: Primates) in the Middle Awash of Ethiopia

“…Attempts to resolve the phylogeny of this group have explored mtDNA (Raaum et al, 2005;van der Kuyl et al, 1995), X and Y chromosomes (Tosi et al, 2002;Tosi et al, 2003;Tosi et al, 2005a;Tosi et al, 2005b;Tosi, Buzzard, et al, 2004;Tosi, Melnick, & Disotell, 2004), serum proteins (Lucotte et al, 1982), and next generation sequencing (Guschanski et al, 2013). Despite these varied efforts, the guenon phylogeny is still largely unresolved (Arenson et al, 2020;Cardini & Elton, 2008;Detwiler et al, 2005;Disotell & Raaum, 2004;Guschanski et al, 2013;Lo Bianco et al, 2017;Perelman et al, 2011;Springer et al, 2012;Svardal et al, 2017;Tosi et al, 2005a;Tosi et al, 2005b;Xing et al, 2007). While inferences about the phylogenetic relationships among cercopithecins are as varied as the methods on which they are based, at this point in time, nuclear DNA studies are arguably the most robust and suggest that Chlorocebus is more closely related to the earlier diverging Erythrocebus and Allochrocebus than to Cercopithecus (Perelman et al, 2011;Springer et al, 2012).…”

“…Often collectively referred to as the African guenons, this tribe is relatively diverse in its pelage (especially facial and genital coloration) and karyotype (Turner et al, 2019). The molecular phylogeny of this taxon has proven difficult to resolve (Arenson et al, 2020; Guschanski et al, 2013; Lo Bianco et al, 2017; Perelman et al, 2011; Tosi, 2017; Tosi & Detwiler, 2016; Turner et al, 2019; Xing et al, 2007), apparently the result of a long history of hybridization that occurs at both generic and specific levels of classification (de Jong & Butynski, 2010; Detwiler, 2004; Detwiler et al, 2005; Groves, 2018; Shurtliff, 2013).…”

“…Despite these varied efforts, the guenon phylogeny is still largely unresolved (Arenson et al, 2020; Cardini & Elton, 2008; Detwiler et al, 2005; Disotell & Raaum, 2004; Guschanski et al, 2013; Lo Bianco et al, 2017; Perelman et al, 2011; Springer et al, 2012; Svardal et al, 2017; Tosi et al, 2005a; Tosi et al, 2005b; Xing et al, 2007). While inferences about the phylogenetic relationships among cercopithecins are as varied as the methods on which they are based, at this point in time, nuclear DNA studies are arguably the most robust and suggest that Chlorocebus is more closely related to the earlier diverging Erythrocebus and Allochrocebus than to Cercopithecus (Perelman et al, 2011; Springer et al, 2012).…”

Simulated evolution of mating signal diversification in a primate radiation

“…The guenons (tribe Cercopithecini) are a primate radiation consisting of 25-38 recognized species [16][17][18][19] that range throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Guenons diverged from papionin primates approximately 11.5 million years ago (Ma), with the diversification rate within the clade increasing around 2.8 Ma [20][21][22].…”

Skeletal morphology of the lesula (Cercopithecus lomamiensis) and the evolution of guenon locomotor behavior

“…For example, though the phylogenetic relationships of extant African papionins and African colobines are well‐established (Cronin & Sarich, ; Disotell, ; Disotell, Honeycutt, & Ruvolo, ; Gilbert, Frost, & Strait, ; Gilbert & Rossie, ; Grubb et al, ; Harris, ; Harris & Disotell, ; Perelman et al, ; Springer et al, 2012; Ting, ; Tosi, Morales, & Melnick, ), guenon phylogeny remains unresolved and unstable with differing hypotheses depending on the dataset and analysis (e.g., Disotell, ; Disotell & Raaum, ; Dutrillaux, Muleris, & Couturier, ; Gautier, ; Guschanski et al, ; Hart et al, ; Perelman et al, ; Ruvolo, ; Springer et al, 2012; Tosi, Detwiler, & Disotell, ; Tosi, Melnick, & Disotell, ; Xing et al, ). In part, resolving basic questions about guenon phylogeny has proven difficult because of the overall skeletal similarity within the group, combined with ancient and contemporary hybridization that confounds molecular studies as well (Cardini & Elton, ; Detwiler, Burrell, & Jolly, ; Disotell & Raaum, ; Lo Bianco, Masters, & Sineo, ; Svardal et al, ; Tosi et al, ). However, the diversity of guenons provides an interesting case study for researchers interested in morphological, behavioral, and ecological profiles in the broader evolutionary context and evolutionary history of a speciose catarrhine radiation (e.g., Allen, Stevens, & Higham, ; Buzzard, ; Cardini & Elton, ; Elton et al, ; Sargis, Terranova, & Gebo, )…”