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Gigantopithecus

Mammalia - Primates - Hominidae

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1935Gigantopithecus von Koenigswald p. 874
1969Gigantopithecus Simons and Chopra p. 3
1977Gigantopithecus Pilbeam et al. p. 694
1982Gigantopithecus Kay p. 209
1997Gigantopithecus McKenna and Bell

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
Tetrapoda
Reptiliomorpha
Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
Cotylosauria()
Amniota
subclassSynapsida
Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
Mammaliamorpha
Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
RankNameAuthor
Theriamorpha(Rowe 1993)
Theriiformes()
Trechnotheria
Cladotheria
Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
Eutheria()
Placentalia
Boreoeutheria
EuarchontogliresMurphy et al. 2001
Euarchonta
orderPrimates
infraorderHaplorhini(Pocock 1918)
Anthropoidea(Mivart 1864)
infraorderCatarrhiniGeoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1812
superfamilyHominoideaGray 1825
familyHominidaeGray 1825
subfamilyPonginaeElliot 1913
tribeSivapithecini
subfamilyRamapithecinaeSimonetta 1957
genusGigantopithecus

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.

G. †Gigantopithecus von Koenigswald 1935
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Gigantopithecus bilaspurensis Simons and Chopra 1969
Gigantopithecus blacki von Koenigswald 1935
Gigantopithecus giganteus Pilgrim 1915
Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
E. L. Simons and S. R. K. Chopra 1969(modified from Simons and Pilbeam 1965,
3
p. 134-5). Largest genus of dryopithecine. Exhibits markedly
reduced lower incisors and somewhat reduced and low-crowned canines. Simian shelf typically shorter (front to back), relative to absolute mandibular size, than in most modern apes; cross-section similar to that of Australopithecus robustus. Greatest length of symphyseal section shorter (in both presumed male and female Gigantopithecus), relative to an absolute size index combining length of P3 — M3 and depth and breadth of mandible at M2, than is typical of gorillas including G. g. beringei both male and female. Mandible deeper and more robust, relative to tooth size, than in any other ape and typically increasing in vertical height of hori- zontal ramus posteriorly. Incisors crowded between canines, verti- cally emplaced and with as small a bicanine breadth, relative to the length of cheek-teeth ( P 3 — M 3 ) , as in A. robustus. Lower canine crowns comparatively reduced and vertically implanted rather than flaring out laterally as is typical of a majority of Recent apes, i.e. in hominids canine roots are typically more than twice the length of unworn crown. Lower premolars only slightly heteromorphic with distinct internal cusps (metaconids) on P3 as well as P4 and with relative reduction of anterolateral face of P3 correlative with distinct shortening and size reduction of upper canine compared to other apes. Molars absolutely larger than in any other extinct hominoid genus; larger than in most gorillas.
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: terrestrialsubc
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: ground dwellingf
Diet: omnivoref
Reproduction: viviparoussubc
Created: 2005-06-08 10:11:09
Modified: 2005-08-22 19:23:50
Source: f = family, subc = subclass, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Nowak 1991, Lillegraven 1979, Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009, Ji et al. 2002

Age range: base of the Late/Upper Miocene to the top of the Middle Pleistocene or 11.60800 to 0.12600 Ma

Collections (8 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Late/Upper Miocene11.608 - 5.333India (Himachal Pradesh) G. bilaspurensis (188839)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.588 - 0.781China (Guangxi) G. blacki (230325)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.588 - 0.781China (Guanxi) G. sp. (230994)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.588 - 0.781China (Hubei) G. sp. (36208)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.588 - 0.781China ( Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region) G. blacki (214689)
Middle Pleistocene0.781 - 0.126Vietnam (Lang Son) G. blacki (92781)
Middle Pleistocene0.781 - 0.126China (Guangxi) G. sp. (38649)
Middle Pleistocene0.781 - 0.126Vietnam G. sp. (108001)