New Insights on the Dietary Ecology of Paradolichopithecus (Cercopithecidae, Mammalia) from Dafnero-3 (Greece)

Abstract

Paradolichopithecus was a large-bodied monkey with a predominantly terrestrial lifestyle that inhabited Eurasia from the Middle Pliocene to the Early-Middle Pleistocene. Its species level taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships, to other extant and extinct large cercopithecines, remain however, unresolved. Clarifying its ecological profile is therefore crucial for understanding its evolutionary history.

Here, we investigate the dietary ecology of a specimen of Paradolichopithecus from Dafnero-3, Greece (DFN3-150). We assessed its dental capabilities and potential dietary adaptations through dental topographic and enamel thickness analyses, comparing the virtual mesh of its second upper molars with 28 corresponding molars representing 13 cercopithecid species across five extant papionin genera (Cercocebus, Lophocebus, Macaca, Mandrillus, Papio, and Theropithecus) with known dietary ecology. We then examined its dietary habits prior to death using dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA), comparing DFN3-150 with eight extant species from the same five genera and other fossil specimens of Paradolichopithecus from sites in Greece, France and Romania.

Our results show that the molar morphology of Paradolichopithecus is most similar to that of Papio, suggesting opportunistic feeding strategies. This interpretation is supported by DMTA, which indicates consumption of tough and abrasive vegetation. Such a dietary profile implies ecological flexibility, potentially facilitating the genus’ wide biogeographic distribution and persistence in increasingly seasonal Plio-Pleistocene Eurasian environments. However, its abrupt disappearance after the Early–Middle Pleistocene raises further questions, hinting that climate change and ecological dynamics may have contributed to its eventual demise.