Nyanzapithecus pickfordi

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Theria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Ordo: Primates
Subordo: Haplorrhini
Infraordo: Simiiformes
Parvordo: Catarrhini
Superfamilia: †Proconsuloidea
Familia: Proconsulidae
Subfamilia: Nyanzapithecinae
Genus: Nyanzapithecus
Species: Nyanzapithecus pickfordi

Name

†Nyanzapithecus pickfordi Harrison, 1986

References

Harrison, T. 1986: New fossil anthropoids from the Middle Miocene of east Africa and their bearing on the origin of the Oreopithecidae. American journal of physical anthropology, 71: 265-284. PDF

Nyanzapithecus pickfordi (Harrison 1986 [1][2] ) was a primate from Africa. .This species had an average body mass of around 10.0 kilograms (Fleagle, 1988).[3] The primate is from the Middle Miocene of Maboko Island, Kenya. [4]

History

Fifteen cranio-dental specimens of this type of primate were collected from the island between the years 1933-73.[6] An expedition to Maboko island by Martin Pickford occured during 1982-83.[7]
Taxonomy

During 1998 N.pickfordi was thought (B.R.Benefit et al) to be in varying degrees of similarity, to be the same of as the primate Mabokopithicus clarki , and so was changed to M.pickfordi or M.clarki, dependent on the type of comparitative correlation. [8][1]
Dental Morphology

N. pickfordi has a dental formula of 2:1:2:3 on both the upper and lower jaw (Fleagle, 1988). The upper premolars were long and had buccal and lingual cusps which resembled each other in size the lower molars had deep notches (Fleagle, 1988). [3]
Diet

Based upon dental morphology this was a folivorous species (Fleagle, 1988). [3]
References

^ a b Hidemi Ishida 1988. Human origins and environmental backgrounds Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects . Birkhäuser, 2006 ISBN 0387296387. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
^ Global Names Index google721 [Retrieved 2012-01-04]
^ a b c Fleagle, J.G. 1988. Primate Adaptation and Evolution. Academic Press: New York.. theprimata. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
^ Fleagle, J.G. Primate Adaptation and Evolution - 596 pages Academic Press, 1999 ISBN 0122603419 [Retrieved 2012-01-04]
^ Copyright © 1999-2011 BioLib[Retrieved 2012-01-04]
^ a b Terry Harrison Dept. of Anthropology, New York University AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 71 : 265-284 (1986) {cite book | url =[1] | title = New fossil Anthropoids from the Middle Miocene of East Africa and there bearing upon the origin of the Oreopithicidae | publisher = © 1986 ALAN R.LISS, INC | accessdate = 2012-01-04}}
^ The Primate Fossil Record ed. by WALTER CARL HARTWIG Touro University The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge The Pitt Building, Trumpington St, Cambridge, England © Cambridge University Press 2002 ISBN 0521663156[Retrieved 2012-01-04]
^ Richard Tuttle Seven Decades of East African Miocene Anthropoid Studies Dept of Anthropology, - University of Chicago [Retrieved 2012-01-04]