Homunculus (genus)
Homunculus is an extinct genus of New World monkey that lived in Patagonia during the Miocene. Two species are known: Homunculus patagonicus and Homunculus vizcainoi, which are known from material found in the Santa Cruz Formation in the far south of Argentina.
| Homunculus | |
|---|---|
| Homunculus patagonicus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Haplorhini |
| Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
| Parvorder: | Platyrrhini |
| Genus: | †Homunculus Ameghino, 1891 |
| Type species | |
| Homunculus patagonicus Ameghino, 1891 | |
| Other Species | |
|
Homunculus vizcainoi Kay & Perry, 2019 | |
H. patagonicus was a robustly built, quadrupedal primate, with body mass estimates varying between 1.4 and 5.9 kg (3.1 and 13.0 lb) based on different techniques.
Some authors consider Killikaike blakei to be a junior synonym for H. patagonicus, but others consider the species distinct.
While some studies have regarded Homunculus as a crown group platyrhine and a member of the family Pitheciidae, other studies have regarded it as a stem-group platyrhine outside any modern group, which is supported by the morphology of its nasal turbinates, which are dissimilar to those of crown-group platyrhines.
Homunculus is suggested to have been primarily frugivorous based on dental wear.