Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Secció de Zoologia i Antropologia Biològica, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08014, Barcelona, Spain.
Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Secció de Zoologia i Antropologia Biològica, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 643, 08014, Barcelona, Spain; Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Unitat d'Antropologia Biològica, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus de Bellaterra, 08193, Bellaterra - Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
J Hum Evol. 2020 May;142:102736. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.102736. Epub 2020 Mar 17.
Despite the scarcity of fossil specimens of Theropithecus oswaldi in Eurasia, its presence out of Africa attests to the great dispersal of this Papionini genus during the Early Pleistocene. In the present study, we analyze the buccal dental microwear of T. oswaldi (T. o. leakeyi) fossil specimens from Cueva Victoria (Southeastern Spain). This analysis is the first characterization of the feeding ecology of T. oswaldi in Europe. The buccal microwear pattern of the molar and premolar teeth of T. oswaldi from Cueva Victoria shows great similarities to that observed for the extant frugivorous forest-dwelling Mandrillus sphinx and mangabeys (Cercocebus sp.)-both species adapted to durophagous dietary habits-while significantly different from that observed for the gramnivorous Theropithecus gelada. These results suggest that T. oswaldi from Cueva Victoria could have exploited both hard-shelled fruits or seeds and succulent fruits from open and forested Mediterranean ecosystems.
尽管欧亚大陆上Theropithecus oswaldi 的化石标本稀缺，但它在非洲以外的存在证明了这种 Papionini 属在早更新世的广泛分布。在本研究中，我们分析了来自西班牙东南部 Cueva Victoria 的 Theropithecus oswaldi（T. o. leakeyi）化石标本的颊齿微磨损。这是首次对 Theropithecus oswaldi 在欧洲的食性进行的特征描述。Cueva Victoria 的 Theropithecus oswaldi 的磨牙和前磨牙的颊齿微磨损模式与现存的以果实为食的森林栖息的 Mandrillus sphinx 和白眉猴（Cercocebus sp.）非常相似——这两种物种都适应于硬食性的饮食习惯——而与以草食性为食的 Theropithecus gelada 明显不同。这些结果表明，来自 Cueva Victoria 的 Theropithecus oswaldi 可能既利用了坚硬的壳果或种子，也利用了来自开阔和森林化的地中海生态系统的多汁果实。
