List of fossil primates of South America

Locations of primate fossil finds in South America and the Caribbean
Divisaderan
Deseadan
Early Miocene & Colhuehuapian
Santacrucian-Friasian
Laventan
Huayquerian
Pleistocene
Holocene

Various fossil primates have been found in South America and adjacent regions such as Panama and the Caribbean.^[1] Presently, 78 species of New World monkeys have been registered in South America.^[2] Around the middle of the Cenozoic, approximately 34 million years ago,^[3] two types of mammals appeared for the first time in South America: rodents and primates. Both of these groups had already been inhabiting other continents for millions of years and they simply arrived in South America rather than originated there. Analyses of evolutionary relationships have shown that their closest relatives were living in Africa at the time. Therefore, the most likely explanation is that they somehow crossed the Atlantic Ocean, which was less wide than today, landed in South America, and founded new populations of rodents and primates.^[4]

The first South American primates gave rise to an impressive evolutionary radiation: more than 120 species in five families. These primates are known as platyrrhine (flat-nosed) primates and are closely related to Old World apes and monkeys (catarrhine primates). Platyrrhines include some of the most popular and acrobatic monkeys such as spider monkeys (Ateles) and capuchins (Cebus), both of which have grasping (prehensile) tails that can be used as a fifth limb. Platyrrhines also include a wide variety of colorful tamarins and marmosets (family Callitrichidae). The platyrrhine primate fossil record is relatively sparse, quite unlike that of caviomorph rodents.^[4]

The presently oldest New World monkey is Perupithecus ucayaliensis from Amazonian Peru, described in 2015.^[5] A 2017 study of the fossils estimated the body mass for the various fossil primate species.^[6]

List of fossil primates of South America

Note: some authors, among others Fossilworks, consider Killikaike synonymous with Homunculus and Szalatavus with Branisella, while other researchers consider the genera as different.
The Panamanian and Caribbean fossil primates have been included for completeness.

Age (SALMA)	Formation	Country	Family	Subfamily	Genus	Species bold is type	Estimated body mass	Notes
Divisaderan	Yahuarango Fm.	Peru	incertae sedis	incertae sedis	Perupithecus	P. ucayaliensis	400 g (0.88 lb)	[6][7]
Deseadan	Chambira Fm.				Canaanimico	C. amazonensis	2,000 g (4.4 lb)	[6][8]
	Salla Fm.	Bolivia			Branisella	B. boliviana	1,000 g (2.2 lb)	[6][9]
					Szalatavus	S. attricuspis	550 g (1.21 lb)	[6][9]
Early Miocene	Lagunitas Fm.	Cuba	Pitheciidae	Callicebinae	Paralouatta	P. marianae		[10]
Colhuehuapian	Culebra Fm.	Panama	Cebidae	Cebinae	Panamacebus	P. transitus	2,700 g (6.0 lb)	[6][11]
	Sarmiento Fm.	Argentina			Dolichocebus	D. gaimanensis	2,700 g (6.0 lb)	[6][12]
			Pitheciidae	Aotinae	Tremacebus	T. harringtoni	1,800 g (4.0 lb)	[6][13]
				Pitheciinae	Mazzonicebus	M. almendrae	1,602 g (3.532 lb)	[6][14]
	Abanico Fm.	Chile	incertae sedis	incertae sedis	Chilecebus	C. carrascoensis	1,000 g (2.2 lb)	[6][15]
Santacrucian	Santa Cruz Fm.	Argentina	Cebidae	Cebinae	Killikaike	K. blakei	2,000 g (4.4 lb)	[6][16]
			Pitheciidae	Homunculinae	Homunculus	H. patagonicus	2,700 g (6.0 lb)	[6][16]
	Pinturas Fm.				Carlocebus	C. carmenensis	3,500 g (7.7 lb)	[6][17]
						C. intermedius		[18]
				Pitheciinae	Soriacebus	S. adrianae		[19]
						S. ameghinorum	1,483 g (3.269 lb)	[6][20]
Friasian	Collón Cura Fm.				Proteropithecia	P. neuquenensis	1,600 g (3.5 lb)	[6]
Laventan	Honda Gp.	Colombia	Atelidae	Alouattinae	Stirtonia	S. tatacoensis	5,513 g (12.154 lb)	[6][21]
						S. victoriae	10,000 g (22 lb)	[6][22]
			Cebidae	Cebinae	Saimiri	S. annectens	605 g (1.334 lb)	[6][23]
						S. fieldsi	768 g (1.693 lb)	[6][24]
					Patasola	P. magdalenae	480 g (1.06 lb)	[6][25]
				Callitrichinae	Lagonimico	L. conclucatus	595 g (1.312 lb)	[6][26]
					Micodon	M. kyotensis	400 g (0.88 lb)	[6][27]
			Pitheciidae	Aotinae	Aotus	A. dindensis	1,054 g (2.324 lb)	[6][28]
				Homunculinae	Miocallicebus	M. villaviejai	1,500 g (3.3 lb)	[6][29]
				Pitheciinae	Cebupithecia	C. sarmientoi	1,602 g (3.532 lb)	[6][30]
					Nuciruptor	N. rubricae	2,000 g (4.4 lb)	[6][31]
			incertae sedis	incertae sedis	Mohanamico	M. hershkovitzi	1,000 g (2.2 lb)	[6][32]
Huayquerian	Solimões Fm.	Brazil	Atelidae	Alouattinae	Solimoea	S. acrensis	8,000 g (18 lb)	[6][33]
		Brazil  Bolivia	Cebidae	Cebinae	Acrecebus	A. fraileyi	12,000 g (26 lb)	[6][34]
Pleistocene		Cuba	Pitheciidae	Callicebinae	Paralouatta	P. varonai	8,444 g (18.616 lb)	[6]
		Brazil	Atelidae	Alouattinae	Cartelles	C. coimbrafilhoi	23,500 g (51.8 lb)	[6]
					Caipora	C. bambuiorum	24,000 g (53 lb)	[6][35] [36]
					Protopithecus	P. bonaeriensis	22,600 g (49.8 lb)	[37]
						P. brasiliensis		[35][38] [39]
					Alouatta	A. mauroi		[40][41]
Holocene		Dominican Republic	Pitheciidae	Callicebinae	Antillothrix	A. bernensis	1,500 g (3.3 lb)	[6]
		Jamaica			Xenothrix	X. mcgregori	5,720 g (12.61 lb)	[6][42]
		Haiti	Aotidae	Aotini (tribe)	Insulacebus	I. toussentiana	4,805 g (10.593 lb)	[6][43]

See also

• Evolution of primates
• List of fossil primates
• List of prehistoric mammals
• List of New World monkey species
  • List of primates of Central America
  • List of primates of Colombia
  • List of primates of Peru
• List of gomphothere fossils in South America

References

Further reading

• Croft, Darin A. 2016. Horned Armadillos and Rafting Monkeys: The Fascinating Fossil Mammals of South America, 1–320. Indiana University Press ISBN 9780253020949. Accessed 2017-10-21.
• Fleagle, John G., and Alfred L. Rosenberger. 2013. The Platyrrhine Fossil Record, 1–256. Elsevier ISBN 9781483267074. Accessed 2017-10-21.
• Hartwig, W.C., and D.J. Meldrum. 2002. The Primate Fossil Record - Miocene platyrrhines of the northern Neotropics, 175–188. Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-08141-2. Accessed 2017-09-24.