What’s important
Primate evolutionary trendsTaxonomic classifications down to family
Subfamily in case of Old World anthropoidsCharacteristics of various groups:
Prosimians New World monkeys Old World monkeys Apes
PRIMATE TAXONOMYAND
CHARACTERISTICS
Suborder
Infraorder
Superfamily
Family
Infraorder:-formes; Superfamily:-oidea; Family:-idae; Subfamily:-inae, and Parvorder & tribe:–ini
(Strepsirhini)
Prosimians
Catarrhini
Suborder: Anthropoidea (Haplorrhini – dry/simple-nosed primates – includes tarsiers)
Infraorder: Simiiformes Parvorder: Catarrhini
EVOLUTIONARY TRENDS
NAPIER AND NAPIER
LE GROS CLARK
Generalized/unspecialized skeletonallows varied locomotion
Pentadactyly, prehensility, opposability, nails, tactile pads
Reduction of snout/muzzle and olfaction
Increased visual acuity, color perception, binocular and stereoscopic vision
Generalized dentition/diet
Dental formula
Increased complexity of brain, especially cerebral cortex
Increase in efficiency of prenatal fetal nourishment
Tendency toward upright posture Capable of bipedalism at least for short periods
Long pre- and postnatal life periods with greater reliance on learned behavior
Tendency toward diurnality
PROSIMIANS
Suborder
Infraorder
Superfamily
Family
PROCUMBENT INCISORS / DENTAL COMB
Tendency toward VCL
More pronounced muzzle Higher reliance on olfaction Scent marking
Mulitple scent glands Moist rhinarium Immobile upper lip Inexpressive face Large laterally oriented eyes
Most species nocturnal Tapetum lucidum
Higher reliance on audition Mobile ears
Digits act together in power grip
Multiple pairs of teats Frequent multiple
births
TARSIERS
NEW WORLD MONKEYS
PARVORDERS: Platyrrhini: rounded widely-spaced nostrils
Catarrhini: narrow downward-facing nostrils
ARBOREAL
Long tails norm Some prehensile
2-1-3-3 dental formula
Twinning in Callitrichines
Catarrhini
Catarrhini (relative to Platyrrhini)
2-1-2-3 Expanded ischial tuberosities Larger-bodied (in general) More folivorous and
terrestrial species More complex derived brain Nose
OLD WORLD MONKEYS
CERCOPITHECINES
OLD WORLD MONKEYS
COLOBINES
Evolutionarily successful / Taxonomically diverse
More closely resemble earliest anthropoids than do apes
Many have long tails and sexual swellings
Ischial callosities Opposable thumbs except
African colobines – thumbless (see left)
APES
Suspensory hanging adaptation
LESSER APES
Relative to great apes Smaller Gracile skeleton More primitive but most
specialized Monomorphic Shorter snouts Long canines ↑IMI
Longer upper limbs/hands Long curved fingers, no thumb Strictly arboreal Ischial callosities Most lack sexual swellings
GREAT APES
Relative to lesser apes
Less suspensory Varying degrees of terrestriality Build nests Larger-bodied Longer-lived Long developmental/dependency period Sexually dimorphic In captivity, symbolic behavior seen
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