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Xenotrichini

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Xenotrichini (the Antilles monkeys) were an extinct tribe of primates that lived on the Greater Antilles, from the Miocene to the Holocene. The last known species, Xenothrix mcgregori, likely went extinct about 900 years ago. They are known from skull and jaw features that show fewer teeth, which helps place them in the primate family tree, but their exact relationships are still debated.

Originally scientists thought Xenotrichini were close to night monkeys, but later research linked them with titi monkeys (Pitheciinae).

DNA evidence from 2018 shows the Jamaican monkey diverged from its closest relative Cheracebus around 11 million years ago (Late Miocene), which is younger than Paralouatta from Cuba (about 18 million years ago). This suggests the Antillean monkeys don’t all share the same origin—making the group polyphyletic (multiple ancestral lines).

Cuban monkeys Paralouatta varonai and P. marianae were once thought to be Xenotrichini, but newer research places them closer to Alouatta (howler monkeys).

Genera and species: Xenotrichini includes three genera — Xenothrix, Antillothrix, and Insulacebus. So far, three species are known.


This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 04:38 (CET).