Oligopithecus

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title: "Oligopithecus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["oligopithecidae", "oligocene-mammals-of-africa", "oligocene-primates", "monotypic-prehistoric-primate-genera", "fossil-taxa-described-in-1962"] description: "Extinct genus of primates" topic_path: "general/oligopithecidae" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligopithecus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Extinct genus of primates ::

| fossil_range = | image = | image_alt = | image_caption = | taxon = Oligopithecus | authority = Simons, 1962 | display_parents = 2 | synonyms = | synonyms_ref = | type_species = Oligopithecus savagei | type_species_authority = Simons, 1962 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision =

• Oligopithecus rogeri Gheerbrant et al. 1995
• Oligopithecus savagei Simons, 1962

Oligopithecus is a fossil primate that lived in Africa during the Early Oligocene. It is represented by one species, Oligopithecus savagei, known from one jaw bone found in Egypt.

Morphology

Oligopithecus savagei has a dental formula of 2.1.2.3 on the lower jaw. The canine is relatively small and the front premolar is narrow. It also resembles the callitrichines more than the catarrhines. The lower third premolar is sectorial. Oligopithecus savagei has primitive molars as compared to other haplorrhines. The lower molars have a trigonid which is higher than the talonid. The lower molars also have a long and obliquely directed cristid obliqua and a small paraconid on the first molar. The lower molars of this species had sharply defined and high occlusal crests and cusps. Based upon the jaw bone, Oligopithecus savagei had a body mass of 1.5 kg.

Oligopithecus savagei was discovered in Egypt.

References

References

1. E. L. Simons. 1962. Two new primate species from the African Oligocene. Postilla 64:1-12
2. E. Gheerbrant, H. Thomas, S. Sen and Z. Al-Sulaimani. 1995. Nouveau primate Oligopithecinae (Simiiformes) de l'Oligocène inférieur de Taqah, Sultanat d'Oman = New Oligopithecinae Primate (Simiiformes) from the early Oligocene of Taqah, Sultanate of Oman. Comptes rendus de l'Académie des sciences de Paris, Série 2 321:425-432
3. (2017). "New infant cranium from the African Miocene sheds light on ape evolution". Nature.
4. (2017-04-10). "New adapiform primate fossils from the late Eocene of Egypt". Historical Biology.
5. (2013). "Palaeontological evidence for an Oligocene divergence between Old World monkeys and apes". Nature.

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