| Patasola magdalenae | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Family: | Callitrichidae |
| Genus: | †Patasola Kay & Meldrum, 1997 |
| Species: | †P. magdalenae |
| Binomial name | |
| †Patasola magdalenae Kay & Meldrum, 1997 | |
Patasola is anextinctgenus ofNew World monkeys from theMiddle Miocene (Laventan in theSouth American land mammal ages; 13.8 to 11.8 Ma). Its remains have been found at theKonzentrat-Lagerstätte ofLa Venta in theHonda Group ofColombia. Thetype species isPatasola magdalenae.[1]
Patasola magdalenae is named after the mythologicalPatasola ("one foot"), a forest spirit of theGran Tolima region of Colombia. The speciesepithet refers to theMagdalena River in which valley the fossils were found.[2]
Fossils ofPatasola, a small insectivorous/frugivorous primate,[3] were discovered in both theLa Victoria andVillavieja Formations above and below the "Monkey Beds" of theHonda Group, that has been dated to theLaventan, about 13.4 to 11.8 Ma.[4][5]
The type mandible ofPatasola magdalenae is a juvenile specimen.[6] The estimated weight ofPatasola was 480 grams (1.06 lb),[7] similar in size to the extant genusLeontopithecus.[8]
The genus is included in theCallitrichidae,[9] after an initial description as an intermediate between the Callitrichidae andSaimiri.[10]
The Honda Group, and more precisely the "Monkey Beds", are the richest site forfossil primates in South America.[11] It has been argued that the monkeys of the Honda Group were living in habitat that was in contact with theAmazon andOrinoco Basins, and that La Venta itself was probably seasonally dry forest.[12] The authors of the publication aboutPatasola however suggests the presence ofrain forest.[3]
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