Primate Taxonomy

Introduction

Taxonomy is the branch of science where you name, identify, classify different species of plants, micro-organisms and animals. Primates are eutherian mammals that constitute the taxonomic order. Primates are mammals that have large brains, use hands and have complex behavioural patterns. In the world of primate taxonomy, the primates are divided into two significant groups. They are the strepsirrhines and haplorhines. The strepsirrhines retain primitive characteristics such as the African bushbabies and the lemurs of Madagascar. The haplorhines have many derived features, such as the tarsier, monkeys and the apes. The approximate number of primate species is 240. 

Primate Taxonomy

Primates form part of the social family groups, uni-male harems, multi-male or multi-female groups, etc. Non-human primates form part of four types of social systems. This primate taxonomy includes the movement caused by adolescent females between the groups. The majority of the primate species are partly arboreal, i.e., living in trees. The mammals like great apes, baboons, etc., do not live on trees but the ground and they are inhabited in almost every continent. 

Classification of Primates

The primates are classified into order and family. The order primates are further divided into two suborders. These two suborders include Strepsirhini and Haplorhini. 

Strepsirrhini 

Under Strepsirrhini, the beings are lemurs, galagos and lorises. The infraorder is known as the lemuriformes, and the superior family is known as the lemuroidea. Under the superfamily of lemuroidea, the primate taxonomy is as follows: The Cheirogaleidae comprising of dwarf lemurs and mouse lemurs having around 34 species, the Daubentoniidae comprising of one species, the Lepilemuridae comprising of sportive lemurs and having approximately 26 species, the Indriidae comprising of woolly lemurs and allies having 19 species. Under the superfamily of lorisoidea, the lorisidae consists of lorisids and 14 species, and the galagidae contains galagos and 19 species. 

Haplorhini

Under Haplorhini, the beings are tarsiers, monkeys and apes. The infraorder are classified into Tarsiiformes and Simiiformes. The primate taxonomy under Tarsiiformes is the Tarsiidae comprising tarsiers and 11 species. Under the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as Anthropoidea, The parvorder Platyrrhini includes new world monkeys. The Callitrichidae comprises of marmosets and tamarins having 42 species, and the Cebidae comprises of capuchins and squirrel monkeys having 14 species, the Aotidae comprising of a night owl or monkeys also known as the douroucoulis having 11 species, the Pitheciidae forming of titis, sakis and uacaris having 43 species, the Atelidae comprising of howler, spider, woolly spider and woolly monkeys having 29 species. The parvorder Catarrhini comprises the Cercopithecoidea with the old world monkeys and 138 species. The Hominoidea comprises Hylobatidae, which consists of gibbons or lesser apes having 18 species and the Hominidae consisting of great apes including humans, having 8 species. 

Insights on primate taxonomy

The primate taxonomy UPSC Anthropology syllabus covers a broad range of information and differences in primate taxonomy. It is said that the primate order taxonomy is most likely to be modified in the upcoming years. The possibility is high because of the discovery of new species and the sequencing data format used to identify the DNA. 

The Differences

Some taxonomists consider that the Tarsioidea of the distinct suborder comprises tarsiers. Some others believe that the Atelidae is a separate family consisting of spiders and howler monkeys. The primate order taxonomy is framed in such a way that the common names such as ring-tailed, ruffed lemurs, sportive lemurs, dwarf and mouse lemurs, aye-ayes, lorises, pottos and angwantibos, galagos, tarsiers, marmosets and tamarins, squirrel and capuchin monkeys, night and titi monkeys, uakaris and sakis, guenons, macaques. Vervets, baboons, colobuses, langurs, proboscis monkeys, gibbons, siamangs, orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and humans form part of the subfamily of the primate order taxonomy. 

Conclusion

In primate taxonomy, the characteristics of primates are well-defined. They include dexterous hands, large-sized brains, sharp vision, a proper structural skeleton for maintaining proper physical agility and producing smaller offspring compared to the other mammals. These primates are usually persistent in the tropical and subtropical regions of New and Old Worlds and have never inhabited Australia and most of the islands of the Pacific Ocean. The major classification of the primates is such that they are divided into two major clauses known as the Prosimians and the Anthropoids. Here, the Prosimians are classified into Lemuriformes and Tarsiiformes further into Lemurs and Lorises and Tarsiers, respectively. The Anthropoids are classified into Platyrrhines and Catarrhines, further classified into Ceboids and Cercopithecoids and Hominoids known as the Apes and Man, respectively.