Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Cranium and Adaptations of Parapithecus grangeri, a Stem Anthropoid from the Fayum Oligocene of Egypt

  • Chapter
Anthropoid Origins

Part of the book series: Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects ((DIPR))

Abstract

Recently, I described a nearly complete cranium, DPC 18651, of an early anthropoid from the Fayum badlands of Egypt that belongs to the species Parapithecus grangeri (Simons, 2001). Apidiurn, Parapithecus, Qatrania, and Abuqatrania are three interrelated Fayum primates that all belong to the taxonomic family Parapithecidae. P. grangeri was described by (1974) and the diagnosis was recently expanded (Simons, 2001). The type species of this genus, Parapithecus fraasi, and the family Parapithecidae were originally described by (1911). The find considered here comes from the early Oligocene Fayum Quarry I and is arguably the most completely preserved cranium of any Paleogene anthropoid or anthropoidean. Many skeletal parts as well as numerous mandibles, maxillae, and some cranial fragments of Apidium phiomense have been recovered in some abundance at Fayum Quarry I, and the extent and diversity of postcranial finds of Apidium make it the most completely known of all Paleogene anthropoideans (Fleagle and Simons, 1995). In contrast to Apidium, very few postcranial elements of the less common P.grangeri have been recovered, but some postcranial bones have recently been identified and are evaluated here to present new absolute body mass estimates for this primate.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Beecher, R. M., 1977, Function and fusion at the mandibular Symphysis, Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 47: 325–336.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beecher, R. M., 1979, Functional significance of the mandibular Symphysis, J. Morphol. 159:117–130.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bown, T. M., and Kraus, M. J., 1988, Geology and paleoenvironment of the Oligocene Jebel Qatrani Formation and adjacent rocks, Fayum Depression, Egypt, U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 1452, pp. 60

    Google Scholar 

  • Cartmill, M., 1980, Morphology, Function, and Evolution of the Anthropoid Postorbital Septum, in: Evolutionary Biology of the New World Monkeys and Continental Drift, R. L. Ciochon, and A. B. Chiarelli, eds., Plenum Press, New York, pp. 243–274.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Conroy, G. C., 1987, Problems of body-weight estimation in fossil primates, Int. J. Primatol. 8(2): 115–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fleagle, J. G., and Kay, R. F., 1987, The phyletic position of the Parapithecidae, J. Hum. Evol. 16: 483–532.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fleagle, J. G., and Simons, E. L., 1995, Limb skeleton and locomotor adaptations of Apidium phiomense, an Oligocene anthropoid from Egypt, Am J. Phys. Anthropol. 97: 235–289.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gebo, D. L., and Simons, E. L., 1987, Morphology and locomotor adaptations of the foot in early oligocene Anthropoids, Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 74: 83–101.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gingerich, P. D., 1978, The Stuttgart collection of Oligocene primates from the Fayum Province of Egypt, Paläont. Z. 52: 82–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gingerich, P. D., Smith, B. H., and Rosenberg, K. R., 1982, Allomeric scaling in the dentition of primates and prediction of body weight from tooth size in fossils, Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 58: 81–100.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, T., 1987, The phylogenetic relationships of the early catarrhine primates: A review of the current evidence, J. Hum. Evol. 16: 41–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jerison, H. J., 1979, The Evolution of Diversity in Brain Size, in: Development and Evolution of Brain Size, M. E. Hahn, C. Jensen, and B.C. Dudek, eds., Academic Press, New York, pp. 29–57.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kappelman, J., Simons, E. L., and Swisher, C. C. III, 1992, New age determinations for the Eocene-Oligocene boundary sediments in the Fayum Depression, Northern Egypt, Journ. Geol. 100: 647–668.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kay, R. F., and Simons, E. L., 1980, The ecology of Oligocene African Anthropoidea, Int. J. Primatol. 1(1): 21–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kay, R. F., and Williams, B. A., 1994, Dental Evidence for Anthropoid Origins, in: Anthropoid Origins, J. G. Fleagle, and R. F. Kay, eds., New York, Plenum, pp. 361–445.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kay, R. F., Ross, C., and Williams, B. A., 1997, Anthropoid Origins, Science 275: 797–804.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kirk, E. C., and Simons, E. L., 2001, Diets of fossil primates from the Fayum Depression of Egypt: A quantitative analysis of molar shearing, J. Hum. Evol. 40: 203–229.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lanèque, L., 1993, Variation of orbital features in adapine skulls, J. Hum. Evol. 25: 287–317.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lieberman, D. E., Ross, C. F., and Ravosa, M. J., 2000, The primate cranial base: Ontogeny, function, and integration, Yrb. Phys. Anthropol. 43: 117–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Msuya, C. P., and Harrison, T., 1994, The circumorbital foramina in primates, Primates 35(2): 231–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Payseur, B. A., Covert, H. H., Vinyard, C. J., and Dagosto, M., 1999a, New body mass estimates for Omomys carteri, a Middle Eocene primate from North America, Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 109: 41–52.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Payseur, B. A., Covert, H. H., Vinyard, C. J., and DaGosto, M., 1999b, ERRATUM: New body mass estimates for Omomys carteri, a Middle Eocene primate from North America, Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 110: 115–116.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ravosa, M. J., and Simons, E. L., 1994, Mandibular growth and function in Archaeolemur, Am. J. Phys Anthropol. 95: 63–76.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ravosa, M. J., Noble, V.E., Hylander, W. L., Johnson, K. R, and Kowalski, E. M., 2000, Masticatory stress, orbital orientation and the evolution of the primate postorbital bar, J. Hum. Evol. 38: 667–693.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ravosa, M. J., Noble, V. E., Hylander, W. L., Johnson, K. R, and Kowalski, E. M., 2002, Primate Origins and the Function of the Circumorbital Region, in: Primate Origins and Adaptations, M. J. Ravosa and M. Dagosto, eds., Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, in press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, C. F., 1993, The functions of the postorbital septum and anthropoid origins, Unpublished Doctoral dissertation, Duke University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, C. F., 1994, The Craniofacial Evidence for Anthropoid and Tarsier Relationships, in: Anthropoid Origins, J. G. Fleagle, and R. F. Kay, eds., Plenum Press, New York, pp. 469–547.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, C. F., 1995, Allometric and functional influences on primate orbit orientation and the origins of the Anthropoidea, J. Hum. Evol. 29: 201–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, C. F., 1996, An adaptive explanation for the origin of the Anthropoidea (Primates), Am. J.Primatol. 40: 205–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, C. F., 2000, Into the light: The origin of Anthropoidea, Ann. Rev. Anthropol. 29: 147–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, C. F., and Ravosa, M. J., 1993, Basicranial flexion, relative brain size, and facial kyphosis in nonhuman primates, Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 91: 305–324.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schlosser, M., 1911, Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Oligozänen Landsäugetiere aus dem Fayum, Ägypten, Beitr. Palaeontol. Oesterreich-Ungarns Orients 6: 1–227.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seiffert, E. R., Simons, E. L., and Fleagle, J. G., 2000, Anthropoid humeri from the late Eocene of Egypt, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97: 10062–10067.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simons, E. L., 1959, An anthropoid frontal bone from the Fayum Oligocene of Egypt: The oldest skull fragment of a higher primate, Amer. Mus. Novitates. 1976: 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, E. L., 1974, Pampitheeus grangeri (Parapithecidae, Old World Higher Primates): New species from the Oligocene of Egypt and the initial differentiation of Cercopithecoidea, Postilla Yale Peabody Museum, New Haven 166: 1–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, E. L., 1986, Parapithecus grangeri of the African Oligocene: An archaic catarrhine without lower incisors, J. Hum. Evol. 15: 205–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simons, E. L., 1993, New endocasts of Aegyptopithecus: Oldest well-preserved record of the brain in Anthropoidea, Am. J. Sci. 293-A: 383–390.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simons, E. L., 1995a, Egyptian Oligocene primates: A review, Yrb. Phys. Anthropol. 338:199–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simons, E. L., 1995b, Crania of Apidium: Primitive anthropoidean (Primates, Parapithecidae) from the Egyptian Oligocene, Am. Mus. Novitates, 3124: 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons, E. L., 2001, The cranium of Parapitheeus grangeri, an Egyptian Oligocene anthropoidean primate, Proe. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98(14): 7892–7897.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simons, E. L., and Rasmussen, D. T., 1989, Cranial morphology of Aegyptopithecus and Tarsius and the question of the Tarsier-Anthropoidean clade, Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 79: 1–23.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simons, E. L., and Rasmussen, D. T., 1991, The generic classification of Fayum Anthropoidea, Int. J. Primatol. 12(2): 163–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simons, E. L., and Rasmussen, D. T., 1996, Skull of Catopithecus browni, an early Tertiary catarrhine, Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 100: 261–292.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Duke University, Division of Fossil Primates, Duke University Primate Center, 1013 Broad Street, Durham, North Carolina, 27705, USA

    Elwyn L. Simons

Authors
  1. Elwyn L. Simons
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA

    Callum F. Ross

  2. Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA

    Richard F. Kay

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2004 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Simons, E.L. (2004). The Cranium and Adaptations of Parapithecus grangeri, a Stem Anthropoid from the Fayum Oligocene of Egypt. In: Ross, C.F., Kay, R.F. (eds) Anthropoid Origins. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8873-7_8

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8873-7_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-4700-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-8873-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation