A NEW SPECIES OF MESOPROPITHECUS (PRIMATES, PALAEOPROPITHECIDAE) FROMNORTHERN MADAGASCAR

We diagnose new subfossil specimens belonging to the extinct palaeopro pithecid, Mesopropithecus, from several caves at the Ankarana massif i n northern Madagascar. They include three partial crania with mandible s, and the first vertebrae, ribs, clavicle, pelvis, ulna, and hand and foot bones of Mesopropithecus ever found. Several other postcranial e lements are known for this northern variant of Mesopropithecus and for previously described species from central and southern Madagascar. Th e new materials cannot be accommodated in either currently recognized species of this genus and are, hereby, given the name Mesopropithecus dolichobrachion. M. dolichobrachion is the second new species of extin ct, subfossil lemur to be found in the caves of Ankarana. It is unlike the two previously described species of this genus primarily in its l arger size, different limb proportions, and aspects of its long bone m orphology. Most notable is the fact that this is the only species of M esopropithecus with the forelimb longer than the hind limb-hence the n ame, the ''long-armed'' Mesopropithecus Various characteristics place M. dolichobrachion phenetically closest (of species belonging to Mesop ropithecus) to Babakotia radofilai, Archaeoindris, and Palaeopropithec us. If these similarities are derived specializations rather than prim itive for palaeopropithecids, a new generic name will be required.