Monkeys
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White-throated monkey ( Cercopithecus albogularis ) |
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| Cercopithecini | ||||||||||||
| Gray , 1821 |
The vervet monkeys (Cercopithecini) or vervet monkeys in the broader sense are a generic group from the primate family of the vervet monkeys (Cercopithecidae).
This group includes around 35 species in six genera, all of which are common in sub- Saharan Africa.
features
Features of this group are a significantly shorter snout than the baboon-like (Papionini) and a long tail. The legs are longer than the arms, a sexual dimorphism (the males are larger than the females) is present, but generally not as pronounced as in the baboons. The set of chromosomes of the vervet monkeys is variable with 48 to 72 chromosomes, all baboons always have 42 chromosomes. In contrast to all other vervet monkeys, the females of the swamp monkey and the pygmy monkeys show sexual swellings in the genital and buttock regions during their fertility, a characteristic that is typical for the baboons.
Most of the species live in the forest and mainly live in trees. They live together in groups that are mostly one-man groups. The groups inhabit fixed territories that are mainly defended by the females. They are omnivores that feed primarily on fruits, but also eat leaves and other parts of plants as well as insects.
Systematics
Six genera belong to this group:
- the primitive swamp monkey ( Allenopithecus nigriviridis ),
- the pygmy monkeys ( Miopithecus ),
- the approximately 25 species of the actual monkeys ( Cercopithecus ),
- the green monkeys ( Chlorocebus )
- Allochrocebus
- as well as the hussar monkey ( Erythrocebus ).
The following cladogram shows the internal systematics of the Cercopithecini:
| Cercopithecini |
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The swamp monkey is undoubtedly the most primitive species of the monkeys; the line of evolution that led to it separated from the rest nine million years ago. Shortly thereafter, eight million years ago, the rest split into two lines of development, one with the primarily arboreal (tree-dwelling) genera Cercopithecus and Miopithecus , and the second with the remaining three predominantly terrestrial genera.
Tribal history
Fossil finds of the vervet monkeys are so far rare. Two molars were in 2012 at the fossil site of Kanapoi the western shore of Lake Turkana in Kenya discovered that in the Pliocene dated. In their structure they resemble those of today's monkeys (among other things as a diagnostic feature the lack of a hump on the lower third molar ), the dimensions point to animals comparable to today's pygmy monkeys ( Miopithecus ). Due to striking morphological differences, they were assigned to the newly established genus Nanopithecus in 2019 . This leads to the assumption that dwarfing within the group of monkeys either took place very early in the line of development or occurred several times. In addition, the fossil remains of Nanopithecus, with their area of discovery in Eastern Africa, significantly expand the known occurrence of small monkeys , since in comparison today's pygmy monkeys have a more central to South African occurrence. This is also supported by a lower jaw fragment from Koobi Fora on the northeastern shore of Lake Turkana. The site belongs to the transition from the Pliocene to the Pleistocene .
literature
- Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin et al. 2003, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Jonathan Kingdon & Colin P. Groves: Tribe Cercopithecini. Pages 245–247 in: Jonathan Kingdon, David Happold, Michael Hoffmann, Thomas Butynski, Meredith Happold and Jan Kalina (eds.): Mammals of Africa Volume II: Primates , Bloomsbury, London, 2013 ISBN 978-1-4081-2252- 5
- ↑ Elizabeth L. Gadsby, Colin P. Groves, Aoife Healy, K. Praveen Karanth, Sanjay Molur, Tilo Nadler, Matthew C. Richardson, Erin P. Riley, Anthony B. Rylands, Lori K. Sheeran, Nelson Ting, Janette Wallis , Siân S. Waters & Danielle J. Whittaker: Family Cercopithecidae (Old World Monkeys). Pages 554-557 in Russell A. Mittermeier , Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson : Handbook of the Mammals of the World: - Volume 3. Primates. Lynx Editions, 2013 ISBN 978-8496553897
- ↑ J. Michael Plavcan, Carol V. Ward, Richard F. Kay & Fredrick K. Manthi: A diminutive Pliocene guenon from Kanapoi, West Turkana, Kenya. Journal of Human Evolution, 2019, p. 102623, doi: 10.1016 / j.jhevol.2019.05.011
