Lr. Godfrey et al., REAPPRAISAL OF THE POSTCRANIUM OF HADROPITHECUS (PRIMATES, INDROIDEA), American journal of physical anthropology, 103(4), 1997, pp. 529-556
Hadropithecus stenognathus (Lorenz von Liburnau [1899] Ant. Akad, Wiss
. Wien 36:255-257), a giant extinct lemur from Madagascar, has been re
constructed as primarily terrestrial and probably cursorial on the bas
is of its postcranial anatomy, especially long bone gracility and inte
rlimb proportions. We show here that aspects of this reconstruction ar
e almost certainly incorrect. Hindlimb bones of Archaeolemur have been
misattributed to Hadropithecus, and new hindlimb allocations (includi
ng newly recognized elements such as the calcaneus) indicate that Hadr
opithecus had a robust body build and lacked osteological specializati
ons for cursoriality. We review the evidence for the existence of ''Br
adylemur'' and offer a view of archaeolemurid positional behavior that
includes terrestrial and arboreal components. Body size and limb prop
ortions of Hadropithecus are reassessed in light of our new allocation
s. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.