The Late Miocene Colobine Monkey Mesopithecus (Primates, Cercopithecidae) of Greece

Abstract

The genus Mesopithecus a colobine monkey, represents the earliest known cercopithecoid in Eurasia. Mesopithecus is very common in the Late Miocene of Greece and the field work in several fossiliferous sites provided a rich collection from the Turolian (uppermost Late Miocene); especially the Pikermi collection of Mesopithecus is the richest one. The Greek material was examined with respect to cranial, dental and postcranial morphology using transitional morphometric and geometric morphometric approaches. The results suggested the presence of four species: M. pentelicus (type species), M. delsoni, M. monspessulanus, and Mesopithecus sp. The comparison of the Greek material with that from other countries indicated close relationships, indicating that it was a widespread taxon. Mesopithecus has a wide palaeogeographic distribution extended from Iberian Peninsula to the southeastern China. Its main presence is restricted in the southern Balkans (Greece, Bulgaria, North Macedonia). Its great palaeogeographic distribution together with its well-known stratigraphical context and age, as well as its specific differentiation allow to use it as a biostratigraphic tool for the uppermost Late Miocene (Turolian). The study of the dietary and locomotor behavior of Mesopithecus, determined by different methods, suggested a semi-terrestrial monkey living in open habitats, like savannah- bushlands or savannah-grasslands with some trees, schrubs and thick grassy substrate. In conclusion the Greek record, due to its richness and stratigraphic context, provides a critical framework for reassessing the taxonomy, biostratigraphy, paleobiogeography, and palaeoecology of Mesopithecus.