Dentition of Proteopithecus sylviae, an archaic anthropoid from the Fayum, Egypt.

Abstract

Proteopithecus sylviae is an archaic anthropoid from the late Eocene quarry L-41, Fayum Province, Egypt. The dentition of Proteopithecus is very primitive and does not closely resemble that of other, better known, primates from the Fayum (e.g., parapithecids and propliopithecids). The dental morphology, much of which is described herein, shows a platyrrhine-like level of organization, suggesting that P. sylviae may occupy a position near the base of the modern anthropoid radiation.