Cuban Monkey
Encyclopedia
Paralouatta is a platyrrhine genus
that currently contains two extinct species of small primate
s that lived on the island of Cuba
.
The Cuba
n fossil primate, Paralouatta varonai was described from a nearly complete cranium from the late Quaternary
in 1991. This cranium and a number of isolated teeth and postcranial bones were found in a cave site in Pinar del Rio Province
. The initial description of the cranium included a proposal that Paralouatta varonai was a close Caribbean
relative of the extant Alouatta (howler monkey
s) of Central and South America, but this taxonomic placement has been called into question with the analysis of the dental remains. Based on shared similarities with the two other Caribbean
primates Xenothrix mcgregori and Antillothrix bernensis, MacPhee and Horovitz have proposed that the Caribbean primates are part of a monophyletic radiation which entered the Caribbean at the Oligocene
-Miocene
boundary. More recent research confirms this assessment and places these three species in the tribe Xenotrichini.
A second species of Paralouatta (P. marianae) has also been described from early Miocene
deposits (~18 million years old), and is the largest Neotropic primate known of that epoch.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
that currently contains two extinct species of small primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
s that lived on the island of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
The Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n fossil primate, Paralouatta varonai was described from a nearly complete cranium from the late Quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
in 1991. This cranium and a number of isolated teeth and postcranial bones were found in a cave site in Pinar del Rio Province
Pinar del Río Province
Pinar del Río is one of the provinces of Cuba. It is at the western end of the island of Cuba.-Geography:The Pinar del Río province is Cuba's westernmost province and contains one of Cuba's three main mountain ranges, the Cordillera de Guaniguanico, divided into the easterly Sierra del Rosario and...
. The initial description of the cranium included a proposal that Paralouatta varonai was a close Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
relative of the extant Alouatta (howler monkey
Howler monkey
Howler monkeys are among the largest of the New World monkeys. Fifteen species are currently recognised. Previously classified in the family Cebidae, they are now placed in the family Atelidae. These monkeys are native to South and Central American forests...
s) of Central and South America, but this taxonomic placement has been called into question with the analysis of the dental remains. Based on shared similarities with the two other Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
primates Xenothrix mcgregori and Antillothrix bernensis, MacPhee and Horovitz have proposed that the Caribbean primates are part of a monophyletic radiation which entered the Caribbean at the Oligocene
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
-Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
boundary. More recent research confirms this assessment and places these three species in the tribe Xenotrichini.
A second species of Paralouatta (P. marianae) has also been described from early Miocene
Burdigalian
The Burdigalian is, in the geologic timescale, an age or stage in the early Miocene. It spans the time between 20.43 ± 0.05 Ma and 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma...
deposits (~18 million years old), and is the largest Neotropic primate known of that epoch.