Evolutionary Biology of the New World Monkeys and Continental Drift

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvi

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2. Geological and Paleontological Background

   1. Front Matter

      Pages xvii-xvii

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   2. The Geologic Evolution of South America with Special Reference to the Last 200 Million Years

      • D. H. Tarling

      Pages 1-41

   3. Early History and Biogeography of South America’s Extinct Land Mammals

      • M. C. McKenna

      Pages 43-77

3. Paleobiogeographic Models of Platyrrhine Origins

   1. Front Matter

      Pages N3-N3

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   2. The Origin of the Caviomorph Rodents from a Source in Middle America

      • A. E. Wood

      Pages 79-91

   3. The Implications of Rodent Paleontology and Biogeography to the Geographical Sources and Origin of Platyrrhine Primates

      • R. Lavocat

      Pages 93-102

   4. Origin and Deployment of New World Monkeys Emphasizing the Southern Continents Route

      • R. Hoffstetter

      Pages 103-122

4. Phylogenetic Models of Platyrrhine Origins

   1. Front Matter

      Pages N5-N5

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   2. Eocene Adapidae, Paleobiogeography, and the Origin of South American Platyrrhini

      • P. D. Gingerich

      Pages 123-138

   3. On the Tarsiiform Origins of Anthropoidea

      • A. L. Rosenberger, F. S. Szalay

      Pages 139-157

5. Evidence from Dental Anatomy Studies

   1. Front Matter

      Pages N7-N7

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   2. Platyrrhine Origins

      • R. F. Kay

      Pages 159-188

   3. Dental Evolutionary Trends of Relevance to the Origin and Dispersion of the Platyrrhine Monkeys

      • F. J. Orlosky

      Pages 189-200

   4. Implications of Enamel Prism Patterns for the Origin of the New World Monkeys

      • D. G. Gantt

      Pages 201-217

6. Evidence from Cranial Anatomy Studies

   1. Front Matter

      Pages N9-N9

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   2. Nasal Structures in Old and New World Primates

      • W. Maier

      Pages 219-241

   3. Morphology, Function, and Evolution of the Anthropoid Postorbital Septum

      • M. Cartmill

      Pages 243-274

   4. Comparative Study of the Endocranial Casts of New and Old World Monkeys

      • D. Falk

      Pages 275-292

   5. Comparative Anatomical Study of the Carotid Circulation in New and Old World Primates

      • J. Bugge

      Pages 293-316

It is now well known that the concept of drifting continents became an estab­ lished theory during the 1960s. Not long after this "revolution in the earth sciences," researchers began applying the continental drift model to problems in historical biogeography. One such problem was the origin and dispersal of the New World monkeys, the Platyrrhini. Our interests in this subject began in the late 1960s on different conti­ nents quite independent of one another in the cities of Florence, Italy, and Berkeley, California. In Florence in 1968, A. B. Chiarelli, through stimulating discussions with R. von Koenigswald and B. de Boer, became intrigued with the possibility that a repositioning of the continents of Africa and South America in the early Cenozoic might alter previous traditional conceptions of a North American origin of the Platyrrhini. During the early 1970s this con­ cept was expanded and pursued by him through discussions with students while serving as visiting professor at the University of Toronto. By this time, publication of the Journal of Human Evolution was well underway, and Dr. Chiarelli as editor encouraged a dialogue emphasizing continental drift models of primate origins which culminated in a series of articles published in that journal during 1974-75. In early 1970, while attending the University of California at Berkeley, R. L. Ciochon was introduced to the concept of continental drift and plate tectonics and their concomitant applications to vertebrate evolution through talks with paleontologist W. A. Clemens and anthropologist S. L. Washburn.

• anatomy
• biogeography
• biology
• evolution
• evolutionary biology
• human evolution
• mammals
• monkeys
• morphology
• phylogeny
• primates
• systematics
• the origin

• Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, USA

  Russell L. Ciochon

• Institute of Anthropology, Florence, Italy

  A. Brunetto Chiarelli

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