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Taxonomy
Dendropithecoidea was named by Harrison (2012). It is not extant. It was considered monophyletic by Harrison (2012).
It was assigned to Catarrhini by Harrison (2012).
It was assigned to Catarrhini by Harrison (2012).
Subtaxa
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Dendropithecoidea Harrison |
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If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.
Superfm. †Dendropithecoidea Harrison 2012
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Fm. †Dendropithecidae Harrison 2002
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G. †Dendropithecus Andrews and Simons 1977
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†Dendropithecus macinnesi Le Gros Clark and Leakey 1949
G. †Micropithecus Fleagle and Simons 1978
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†Micropithecus clarki Fleagle and Simons 1978
†Micropithecus leakeyorum Harrison 1989
G. †Simiolus Leakey and Leakey 1987
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†Simiolus enjiessi Leakey and Leakey 1987
†Simiolus minutus Rossie and Hill 2018
Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| T. Harrison 2012 | They are all small catarrhines with an average body mass of 4–8kg. Their primitive dental and postcranial features indicate that they are the sister taxon to Proconsuloidea+Homin oidea+Cercopithecoidea. Dendropithecoids are known only from localities in East Africa, and it is likely that they were restricted to the Afro-Arabian province throughout their evolutionary his- tory. They are characterized by the following distinctive features: rostrum relatively abbreviated, with a short subnasal clivus; upper and lower canines strongly bilaterally compressed; p3 moderately to strongly sectorial; limb bones long and slender; distal humerus with large medially directed medial epicondyle, a well-developed dorsal epitrochlear fossa, trochlea with minimal spooling, a weak lateral trochlear keel, and a shallow olecranon fossa (Harrison 2010). Most of these characters can be interpreted as the primitive condition for catarrhines, while the distinctive C/p3 honing complex probably corresponds closely to the primitive condition for catarrhines of modern aspect (Harrison and Gu 1999). It is conceivable that the dendropithecoids represent a para- phyletic group, but their close morphological similarity, especially in their postcranial morphology, makes it more likely that they represent a distinct clade. The loss of the entepicondylar foramen in the distal humerus is a synapomorphy that links them with later catarrhines, but they primitively retain a dorsal epitrochlear fossa that has been lost in crown catarrhines. Unfortunately, the cranial material is inadequate to determine whether they possessed a tubular ectotympanic typical of modern catarrhines. |