Article: A revision of the Turkish Miocene hominoid Sivapithecus meteai

A new specimen of fossil ape is described from the late Miocene of Turkey. It consists of a complete palate and lower face, with much of the nasal and zygomatic regions preserved and part of the right orbit. It is considered to belong to the same species as the previously described Ankarapithecus meteai from the same deposits, and it is confirmed that the affinities of this taxon are with the genus Sivapithecus. Detailed comparisons with the other species of Sivapithecus, however, demonstrate that it is different from them, and its synonymy with S. indicus proposed by Simons and Pilbeam (1965) is therefore rejected. It now appears that the genus Sivapithecus contains three and possibly four species which have only minor differences from Ramapithecus species. The generic distinction is nevertheless retained on the basis of morphological differences in I1, premolars, and mandibular and maxillary robustness. The possibility of relationship between S. meteai and the orang-utan, based on similarities in the maxilla and lower face, is discussed.