Parapithecus

Parapithecus Temporal range: Eocene-Oligocene, 40–33  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Mandible of P. grangeri
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Haplorhini
Infraorder:	Simiiformes
Family:	† Parapithecidae
Genus:	† Parapithecus Schlosser, 1910
Species
P. fraasiSchlosser, 1910

Parapithecus is an extinct genus of primate that lived during the Late Eocene-Earliest Oligocene in what is now Egypt. Its members are considered to be basal anthropoids and the genus is closely related to Apidium . There are two known species. They lived about 40 to 33 million years ago. ^[1]

Description

Parapithecus had an unusual dentition, which contained no adult lower incisors. ^[2] The upper dentition likely had four incisors. ^[3] This means the adult dental formula can be expressed as: Incisors: 2/0; Canines: 1/1; Premolars: 3/3; Molars: 3/3.

Palaeobiology

Palaeoecology

The dental microwear of Parapithecus was most similar to that of modern frugivorous primates, suggesting that Parapithecus fed mainly on fruits. ^[4]

Bibliography

1. Beard CK (2002). "Basal anthropoids". In Hartwig, Walter (ed.). The Primate Fossil Record. Cambridge University Press. pp. 133–149. ISBN   978-0-521-08141-2.
2. Simons EL (1 March 1986). "Parapithecus grangeri of the African Oligocene: an archaic catarrhine without lower incisors". Journal of Human Evolution . 15 (3): 205–213. Bibcode:1986JHumE..15..205S. doi:10.1016/S0047-2484(86)80046-X. ISSN   0047-2484.
3. Simons EL (July 2001). "The cranium of Parapithecus grangeri, an Egyptian Oligocene anthropoidean primate". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America . 98 (14): 7892–7897. Bibcode:2001PNAS...98.7892S. doi: 10.1073/pnas.051003398 . PMC   35439 . PMID   11438736.
4. Teaford, Mark F.; Maas, Mary C.; Simons, Elwyn L. (December 1996). "Dental microwear and microstructure in early oligocene primates from the Fayum, Egypt: Implications for diet". American Journal of Physical Anthropology . 101 (4): 527–543. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1096-8644(199612)101:4<527::AID-AJPA7>3.0.CO;2-S . Retrieved 29 October 2025– via Wiley Online Library.