Various fossil primates have been found in South America and adjacent regions such as Panama and the Caribbean.Tejedor et al., 2013, p. 22 Presently, 78 species of New World monkeys have been registered in South America.Rosenberger & Hartwig, 2001, p. 2 Around the middle of the Cenozoic, approximately 34 million years ago,Lynch Alfaro et al., 2015, p. 519 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.South American Fossil Mammals

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.

The presently oldest New World monkey is Perupithecus ucayaliensis from Amazonian Peru, described in 2015.Bond et al., 2015, p. 538 A 2017 study of the fossils estimated the body mass for the various fossil primate species.Silvestro et al., 2017, p. 14 However, the Ucayalipithecus who might have rafted across the Atlantic between ~35–32 million years ago, are nested within the Parapithecoidea from the Eocene of Afro-Arabia.Seiffert et al., 2020, pp. 194–197

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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 Formation Country Family Subfamily Genus Species Estimatedbody mass Notes Divisaderan Yahuarango Fm. incertae sedis incertae sedis Perupithecus P. ucayaliensis Deseadan Chambira Fm. Canaanimico C. amazonensis Salla Fm. Branisella B. boliviana Szalatavus S. attricuspis Hemingfordian Lagunitas Fm. Atelidae Alouattinae Paralouatta P. marianae 4,708 g (10.38 lb) Las Cascadas Fm. Cebidae stem cebid Panamacebus P. transitus Colhuehuapian Sarmiento Fm. Saimirinae Dolichocebus D. gaimanensis Aotidae stem aotid Tremacebus T. harringtoni Pitheciidae Pitheciinae Mazzonicebus M. almendrae Abanico Fm. Atelidae stem atelid Chilecebus C. carrascoensis Santacrucian Santa Cruz Fm. Cebidae Cebinae Killikaike K. blakei Pitheciidae Callicebinae Homunculus H. patagonicus Pinturas Fm. Carlocebus C. carmenensis C. intermedius Pitheciinae Soriacebus S. adrianae S. ameghinorum Friasian Collón Cura Fm. Proteropithecia P. neuquenensis Laventan Honda Gp. Atelidae Alouattinae Stirtonia S. tatacoensis S. victoriae Cebidae Saimirinae Saimiri S. annectens S. fieldsi Patasola P. magdalenae incertae sedis incerstae sedis Lagonimico L. conclucatus Callitrichidae - Micodon M. kiotensis Aotidae - Aotus A. dindensis Pitheciidae Callicebinae Miocallicebus M. villaviejai Pitheciinae Cebupithecia C. sarmientoi Nuciruptor N. rubricae Atelidae stem atelid Mohanamico M. hershkovitzi Huayquerian Solimões Fm. Atelidae Atelinae Solimoea S. acrensis Cebidae Cebinae Acrecebus A. fraileyi Pleistocene Cueva del Mono Atelidae Alouattinae Paralouatta P. varonai Cartelles C. coimbrafilhoi Caipora C. bambuiorum Protopithecus P. bonaeriensis P. brasiliensis Alouatta A. mauroi Holocene La Jeringa Cave Pitheciidae Pitheciinae Antillothrix A. bernensis Long Mile Cave Xenothrix X. mcgregori Trouing Jérémie Insulacebus I. toussentiana

See also

Evolution of primates List of fossil primates List of gomphothere fossils in South America 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

References

Bibliography General

Specific

Further reading