Department of Anthropology, Yale University, P.O. Box 208277, New Haven, CT 06520-8277, USA.
J Hum Evol. 2010 Nov;59(5):465-83. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2010.05.005.
Miocene to Pleistocene fossiliferous sediments in the Tugen Hills span the time period from at least 15.5 Ma to 0.25 Ma, including time periods unknown or little known elsewhere in Africa. Consequently, the Tugen Hills deposits hold the potential to inform us about crucial phylogenetic events in African faunal evolution and about long-term environmental change. Among the specimens collected from this region are a number of discoveries already important to the understanding of primate evolution. Here, we describe additional cercopithecoid material from the Miocene deposits in the Tugen Hills sequence, including those from securely dated sites in the Muruyur Beds (16-13.4 Ma), the Mpesida Beds (7-6.2 Ma) and the Lukeino Formation (∼ 6.2-5.7 Ma). We also evaluate previously described material from the Ngorora Formation (13-8.8 Ma). Identified taxa include Victoriapithecidae gen. et sp. indet., cf. Parapapio lothagamensis, and at least two colobines. Specimens attributed to cf. Pp. lothagamensis would extend the species' geographic range beyond its type locality. In addition, we describe specimens sharing derived characters with modern African colobines (Tribe: Colobina), a finding that is congruent with previous molecular estimates of colobine divergence dates. These colobine specimens represent some of the earliest known members of the modern African colobine radiation and, in contrast to previous hypotheses, suggest that early African colobines were mainly arboreal and that semi-terrestrial Late Miocene and Plio-Pleistocene colobine taxa were secondarily derived in their locomotor adaptations.
图根山的中新世至更新世化石沉积物跨越了至少 1550 万年至 0.25 万年的时间，包括在非洲其他地方未知或知之甚少的时间。因此，图根山的沉积物有可能为我们提供有关非洲动物进化中关键系统发育事件的信息，以及有关长期环境变化的信息。从该地区采集的标本中，有一些已经对灵长类动物进化的理解很重要的发现。在这里，我们描述了来自图根山序列中新世沉积物的额外的类人猿材料，包括来自 Muruyur 床（16-13.4 百万年）、Mpesida 床（7-6.2 百万年）和 Lukeino 地层（约 6.2-5.7 百万年）的可靠年代测定地点的材料。我们还评估了以前描述的来自 Ngorora 地层（13-8.8 百万年）的材料。已鉴定的分类群包括 Victoriapithecidae gen. et sp. indet.、cf. Parapapio lothagamensis 和至少两种 colobines。归因于 cf. Pp. lothagamensis 的标本将扩大该物种的地理范围，超出其模式产地。此外，我们描述了与现代非洲 colobines（部落：Colobina）具有衍生特征的标本，这一发现与以前对 colobine 分歧日期的分子估计一致。这些 colobine 标本代表了现代非洲 colobine 辐射中最早已知的成员之一，与以前的假说相反，表明早期的非洲 colobines 主要是树栖的，而半陆生的中新世晚期和更新世 colobine 分类群在其运动适应方面是次生衍生的。
