New specimens of Proconsul from Koru, Kenya

Abstract

The morphological and metrical definitions of the three species of Proconsul: Proconsul africanus, Proconsul nyanzae and Proconsul major , are reviewed. New finds of large fossil primates from the Lower Miocene deposits at Koru, Kenya are described and assigned to two of these species; P. africanus and P. major . The large sample of P. major from Koru permits a more complete understanding of the morphology and variability of this species and necessitates a revised diagnosis. The increased range of variation for this species is discussed in the light of sexual dimorphism and species variability in extant African hominoids.