Hispanopithecus

Hispanopithecus
Temporal range: 11.1–9.5 Ma
↓
 (Tortonian–Messinian)
Reconstruction of H. laietanus by Mauricio Antón
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Hominidae
Subfamily: Ponginae
Tribe: †Hispanopithecini
Genus: †Hispanopithecus
(Villalta & Crusafont, 1944)
Species
  • †Hispanopithecus laietanus
  • †Hispanopithecus crusafonti
Synonyms

Hispanopithecus is a genus of apes that inhabited Europe during the Miocene epoch. It was first identified in a 1944 paper by J. F. Villalta and M. Crusafont in Notas y Comunicaciones del Instituto Geologico y Minero de España. Anthropologists disagree as to whether Hispanopithecus belongs to the subfamily Ponginae (most closely related to modern orangutans) or Homininae (most closely related to gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans).[1][2]

The genus contains two known species: Hispanopithecus laietanus and Hispanopithecus crusafonti. The fossils have been dated to between 11.1 and 9.5 million years ago.[1]

  1. ^ a b Casanovas-Vilar, I.; Alba, D. M.; Garces, M.; Robles, J. M.; Moya-Sola, S. (2011). "Updated chronology for the Miocene hominoid radiation in Western Eurasia". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 108 (14): 5554–5559. Bibcode:2011PNAS..108.5554C. doi:10.1073/pnas.1018562108. PMC 3078397. PMID 21436034.
  2. ^ Grehan, J. R.; Schwartz, J. H. (2009). "Evolution of the second orangutan: phylogeny and biogeography of hominid origins" (PDF). Journal of Biogeography. 36 (10): 1823–1844. Bibcode:2009JBiog..36.1823G. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02141.x. S2CID 26154219.