Homunculus patagonicus


TAXONOMY:

MORPHOLOGY:
Homunculus patagonicus has a dental formula of 2:1:3:3 on both the upper and lower jaws (Fleagle, 1988). This species has lower incisors which are narrow and spatulate (Fleagle, 1988). The canines of this species are most likely sexually dimorphic (Fleagle, 1988). The back premolars of this species, P3 and P4, are semimolariform (Fleagle, 1988). This species has molars which possess small cusps which are connected by long shearing crests (Fleagle, 1988). The mandible of this species was V-shaped (Conroy, 1990). This species had a relatively short snout and moderate-sized orbits, and this suggests that this was a diurnal species (Fleagle, 1988). The cranium is gracile with no sagittal crest (Fleagle, 1988). This species had an average body mass of around 2.7 kilograms (Fleagle, 1988).

RANGE:
Homunculus patagonicus was found on the continent of South America, in the country of Argentina (Fleagle, 1988). This species occurred during early Miocene (Fleagle, 1988).

DIET:
Based upon the dental morphology this was a frugivorous species which also relied on leaves to supplement the diet (Fleagle, 1988).

LOCOMOTION:
Based upon postcranial remains, this was probably a quadrupedal species (Meldrum, 1993).

REFERENCES:
Conroy, G.C. 1990. Primate Evolution. W.W. Norton and Co.: New York.

Fleagle, J.G. 1988. Primate Adaptation and Evolution. Academic Press: New York.

Meldrum, D.J. 1993. Postcranial Adaptations and Positional Behavior in Fossil Platyrrhines. In Postcranial Adaptation in Nonhuman Primates. Ed. D.L. Gebo, Northern Illinois University Press: Carbondale, IL.

Last updated: November 16, 2001

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