Patasola magdalenae is named after the mythological
Patasola ("one foot"), a forest spirit of the
Gran Tolima region of Colombia. The species
epithet refers to the
Magdalena River in which valley the fossils were found.[2]
Description
Fossils of Patasola, a small insectivorous/frugivorous primate,[3] were discovered in both the
La Victoria and
Villavieja Formations above and below the "Monkey Beds" of the
Honda Group, that has been dated to the
Laventan, about 13.4 to 11.8 Ma.[4][5]
The type mandible of Patasola magdalenae is a juvenile specimen.[6] The estimated weight of Patasola was 480 grams (1.06 lb),[7] similar in size to the extant genus Leontopithecus.[8]
The genus is included in the
Callitrichidae,[9] after an initial description as an intermediate between the Callitrichidae and Saimiri.[10]
The Honda Group, and more precisely the "Monkey Beds", are the richest site for
fossil primates in South America.[11] It has been argued that the monkeys of the Honda Group were living in habitat that was in contact with the
Amazon and
Orinoco Basins, and that La Venta itself was probably seasonally dry forest.[12] The authors of the publication about Patasola however suggests the presence of
rain forest.[3]