Ulnar morphology of Pliobates cataloniae (Pliopithecoidea: Crouzeliidae) : Insights into catarrhine locomotor diversity and forelimb evolution
Raventos-Izard, Georgina (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Monclús-Gonzalo, Oriol (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Moyà Solà, Salvador (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia)
Alba, David M. (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Arias-Martorell, Julia (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)

Date:	2025
Abstract:	Pliobates cataloniae is a small-bodied crouzeliid pliopithecoid from the Miocene (∼11. 6 Ma) of Abocador de Can Mata (ACM; Vallès-Penedès Basin, NE Iberian Peninsula). It exhibits a mosaic of primitive (stem catarrhine) and derived (modern hominoid-like) postcranial features. The holotype partial skeleton, from locality ACM/C8-A4, includes an almost complete ulna-a bone that plays a critical role in forearm flexion-extension and pronation-supination. Here, we use landmark-based three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to evaluate the closest morphometric affinities of the Pliobates ulna and explore its implications for the locomotor repertoire of this taxon. The comparative sample includes 156 specimens corresponding to 35 species from 20 anthropoid genera, three lorisid genera, and 10 fossil catarrhines. Our results indicate that the trochlear notch morphology of Pliobates resembles that of stem catarrhines and other nonhominoid primates. However, Pliobates differs from cercopithecoids (especially terrestrial taxa) in radial notch features related to enhanced pronation-supination capabilities, closely resembling the condition displayed by crown hominoids, Ateles, and Loris. In turn, the distal ulna of Pliobates does not overlap with any extant group and differs from the other fossils analyzed, most closely resembling that of hylobatids and lorisids. Pliobates probably had an extensive range of movement in the distal forearm, as indicated by the incipiently expanded semilunar ulnar head, the relatively short styloid process, the deep fovea, and the hooklike styloid process. This suggests that Pliobates would have frequently displayed nonstereotypical limb postures and slow locomotor behaviors. Overall, the ulnar morphology of Pliobates suggests that its locomotor repertoire may have combined cautious above-branch quadrupedalism and eclectic climbing with nonagile suspensory behaviors resembling those of Ateles.
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2020-116908GB-I00 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2020-117289GB-I00 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2022/SGR-00620 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2022/SGR-01184 Generalitat de Catalunya CLT009/18/00071 Generalitat de Catalunya CLT0009_22_000018 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PRE2021-099116 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2021/FI_B-00524 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2022/FI_B1-00131 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2023/FI-3-00131 European Commission 801370
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Subject:	Elbow ; Wrist ; Fossil primates ; Geometric morphometrics ; Positional behavior ; Functional morphology
Published in:	Journal of Human Evolution, Vol. 202 (May 2025) , art. 103663, ISSN 1095-8606

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2025.103663

18 p, 3.7 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles