Paleobiogeographic Perspectives on the Origin of the Platyrrhini

Abstract

This chapter will explore the various hypotheses and scenarios that have been advanced concerning the paleobiogeographic source of origin of the Platyrrhini. The specific questions to be addressed include: (1) From what geographical region or regions were the immediate ancestors of the New World monkeys derived? (2) When and by what means did these first platyrrhines reach the island continent of South America? (3) What influence did continental drift have on the geographic source of origin and mode of dispersal of the Platyrrhini? Nearly all of the preceding chapters in this volume have attempted to specifically answer one or more of these questions. It is our purpose herein to provide a background for the discussion of all these paleobiogeographic proposals and then to present a consensus-oriented maximum-parsimony model of platyrrhine origins and dispersal.