Biology:Pliopithecus
| Pliopithecus | |
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| Mandible fragment of Pliopithecus antiquus from Sansan, France; cast from Museum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Haplorhini |
| Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
| Family: | †Pliopithecidae |
| Subfamily: | †Pliopithecinae |
| Genus: | †Pliopithecus Gervais, 1849 |
| Paleospecies | |
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Pliopithecus {meaning "more ape") is a genus of extinct primates of the Miocene. It was discovered in 1837 by Édouard Lartet (1801–1871) in France , with fossils subsequently discovered in Switzerland , Slovakia and Spain .
Pliopithecus had a similar size and form to modern gibbons, to which it may be related, although it is probably not a direct ancestor. It had long limbs, hands, and feet, and may have been able to brachiate, swinging between trees using its arms. Unlike gibbons, it had a short tail, and only partial stereoscopic vision.[1]
They appear to have originated in Asia and extended their range into Europe between 20 and 17 million years ago.[2]
Begun and Harrison list the following species within the genus:[2]
- Pliopithecus antiquus
- Pliopithecus bii
- Pliopithecus canmatensis
- Pliopithecus platyodon
- Pliopithecus vindobonensis
- Pliopithecus zhanxiangi
Pliopithecus antiquus has been referred to previously as P. piveteaui.[3] P. vindobonensis is sometimes considered to be a separate genus, Epipliopithecus.[4][2] Anapithecus is a close relative and was initially considered a subgenus of Pliopithecus.
References
- ↑ Palmer, D., ed (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. pp. 291. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Harrison, Terry (2018). "Catarrhine Origins". in Trevathan, Wenda. The International Encyclopedia of Biological Anthropology. 1. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 306-311. doi:10.1002/9781118584538.ieba0087. https://www.academia.edu/38186334/2018_Harrison_Catarrhine_Origins.
- ↑ "Pliopithecus antiquus Blainville 1839". http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=64158. ""Synonym: Pliopithecus piveteaui Hürzeler 1954""
- ↑ Harrison, T; Gu, Y (1999). Taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of early Miocene catarrhines from Sihong, China. http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=143129.
External links
Wikidata ☰ Q135231 entry
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