Biogeography of Tertiary Primates: Discussion over an updated Data Base

Abstract

A preliminary taxonomic evaluation of the Tertiary Primate fossil record of the Old World is presented. The dataset has been compiled using the information and the structure presented by the NOW database (Neogene Mammalian of the Old World; Academy of Finland, 2007), strongly updated with the additional information derived from different literature sources. A quantitative methodology for compilation and analysis of the data has been applied following the methodology described in Petruso et al. (2008). The adopted numerical treatment of data is particularly effective in synthesizing and analyzing the large amount of information contained in the data set. This analysis gives a synthetic picture of the consistence of Primate fossil record, analysed at different taxonomic level, during each period of the Tertiary Era, in respect to the geographic distribution. A special attention has been focused on Miocene-Pliocene taxa distribution. Nevertheless a multivariate analysis permitted to better understand the variation of some ecological parameters, such as the diet and the type of locomotion, during the geological time and the geographical distribution. The first result confirms the bias of the Primate fossil record that affects some regions of the Old World ether for ecological reasons or for inadequateness of the record related to research strategies. Moreover Primate families generally appear to be well adapted to local ecologies with the consequence of limited migrations or dispersals over long periods of time. The work represents a preliminary contribution to the complex question connected to the evaluation of the actual consistency of Primate fossil record.