Theropithecus
Genus of Old World monkeys
title: "Theropithecus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["papionini", "primate-genera", "mammal-genera-with-one-living-species", "taxa-named-by-isidore-geoffroy-saint-hilaire", "taxa-described-in-1843"] description: "Genus of Old World monkeys" topic_path: "general/papionini" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theropithecus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Genus of Old World monkeys ::
| fossil_range = Pliocene-Recent | image = Southern gelada (Theropithecus gelada obscurus) male.jpg | image_caption = Male gelada | display_parents = 2 | taxon = Theropithecus | authority = I. Geoffroy, 1843 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text | type_species = Theropithecus gelada | type_species_authority = (Rüppell, 1835)
Theropithecus is a genus of primates in the family Cercopithecidae. It contains a single living species, the gelada (Theropithecus gelada), native to the Ethiopian Highlands.
Additional species are known from fossils, including:
- Theropithecus brumpti
- Theropithecus darti
- Theropithecus oswaldi The earliest remains probably belonging to the genus are from Kanapoi, Kenya, dating to the early Pliocene, around 4.1-4.2 million years ago.
Although most remains are known from Africa, during the Early Pleistocene the genus had a broader distribution ranging from southern Europe, including Spain and possibly Italy, to the Indian subcontinent.
References
References
- Turner, Alan. (2004). "Evolving Eden, An Illustrated Guide to the Evolution of the African Large-Mammal Fauna". Columbia University Press.
- Getahun, D. A., Delson, E., & Seyoum, C. M. (2023). A review of Theropithecus oswaldi with the proposal of a new subspecies. Journal of human evolution, 180, 103373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103373
- "The Paleobiology Database".
- Ferràndez-Cañadell, Carles. (September 2014). "New fossil teeth of Theropithecus oswaldi (Cercopithecoidea) from the Early Pleistocene at Cueva Victoria (SE Spain)". Journal of Human Evolution.
- Patel, Biren A.. (February 2007). "Cercopithecoid cervical vertebral morphology and implications for the presence of Theropithecus in early Pleistocene Europe". Journal of Human Evolution.
- Patnaik, Rajeev. (April 2014). "Diet and Habitat of Siwalik Primates Indopithecus, Sivaladapis and Theropithecus". Annales Zoologici Fennici.
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