Parapithecus

Parapithecus
Temporal range: Eocene-Oligocene, 40–33 Ma
Mandible of P. grangeri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Placentalia
Order: Primates
Family: †Parapithecidae
Genus: †Parapithecus
Schlosser, 1910
Species
  • P. fraasi Schlosser, 1910

Parapithecus is an extinct genus of primate that lived during the Late Eocene-Earliest Oligocene in what is now Egypt. Its members are considered to be basal anthropoids and the genus is closely related to Apidium. There are two known species. They lived about 40 to 33 million years ago.[1]

Description

Parapithecus had an unusual dentition, which contained no adult lower incisors.[2] The upper dentition likely had four incisors.[3] This means the adult dental formula can be expressed as: Incisors: 2/0; Canines: 1/1; Premolars: 3/3; Molars: 3/3.

Palaeobiology

Palaeoecology

The dental microwear of Parapithecus was most similar to that of modern frugivorous primates, suggesting that Parapithecus fed mainly on fruits.[4]

Bibliography

  1. ^ Beard CK (2002). "Basal anthropoids". In Hartwig, Walter (ed.). The Primate Fossil Record. Cambridge University Press. pp. 133–149. ISBN 978-0-521-08141-2.
  2. ^ Simons EL (1 March 1986). "Parapithecus grangeri of the African Oligocene: an archaic catarrhine without lower incisors". Journal of Human Evolution. 15 (3): 205–213. Bibcode:1986JHumE..15..205S. doi:10.1016/S0047-2484(86)80046-X. ISSN 0047-2484.
  3. ^ Simons EL (July 2001). "The cranium of Parapithecus grangeri, an Egyptian Oligocene anthropoidean primate". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 98 (14): 7892–7897. Bibcode:2001PNAS...98.7892S. doi:10.1073/pnas.051003398. PMC 35439. PMID 11438736.
  4. ^ Teaford, Mark F.; Maas, Mary C.; Simons, Elwyn L. (December 1996). "Dental microwear and microstructure in early oligocene primates from the Fayum, Egypt: Implications for diet". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 101 (4): 527–543. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1096-8644(199612)101:4<527::AID-AJPA7>3.0.CO;2-S. Retrieved 29 October 2025 – via Wiley Online Library.
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