Primate colonization of the Caribbean

A study uncovers genetic evidence of early colonization of Jamaica by primates. Researchers have unearthed fossil evidence of four extinct primate species in the Caribbean, but the history of the primates' arrival and diversification throughout the region is unclear. Samuel Turvey and colleagues extracted ancient DNA under adverse preservation conditions from Xenothrix mcgregori, a monkey species found in Jamaica. Previously thought to possibly lie outside extant groups of New World monkeys, this species is instead a member of the Callicebinae, or titi monkeys. Despite its morphological dissimilarity to other members of this subfamily, which exhibit close similarity to each other, Xenothrix is a sister genus to Cheracebus monkeys and thus lies deep within the modern titi monkey radiation. The authors suggest that the divergence in the Xenothrix body plan may have occurred after colonization of the Caribbean islands, and that the species may have arrived to find multiple vacant niches ready for adaptive colonization. Because of the likely timing of divergence between Xenothrix and Cheracebus, around 11 million years ago, the authors suggest that Xenothrix may have traveled over water to reach Jamaica and represents one of at least two primate colonizations of the Caribbean islands. According to the authors, the results suggest that adaptation can significantly shape species morphology in novel environments, even when species come from morphologically conservative families.

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Article #18-08603: "Ancient DNA of the extinct Jamaican monkey Xenothrix reveals extreme insular change within a morphologically conservative radiation," by Roseina Woods, Samuel T. Turvey, Selina Brace, Ross MacPhee, and Ian Barnes.

MEDIA CONTACT: Samuel T. Turvey, Zoological Society of London, UNITED KINGDOM; tel: (+44) 207 449 6326; e-mail: samuel.turvey@ioz.ac.uk

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