ABSTRACT
The third Yale Paleontological expedition to Egypt supported by US National Science Foundation grant in geology concentrated fossil-collecting efforts on a locality (I) in the upper levels of the Qatrani Formation, Oligocene of Egypt, which had yielded a few surface finds of early Anthropoidea. The locality which yielded the primates is appreciably higher stratigraphically than classic fossil-vertebrate localities of the Fayum region, and is approximately that of the "upper level" of Osborn. From upper fossil wood zone came specimens which Osborn described as the types of a rodent Metaphiomys beadnelli, a primate Apidium phiomense, and creodont carnivore Metasinopa fraasi. Close relationship of Aeolopithecus chirobates to Apidium phiomense, Apidium moustafai or Parapithecus fraasi is ruled out by their differing dental formulae and wholly dissimilar tooth morphologies. The most direct relationships this species are with Pliopithecus, particularly sub-genus Limnopithecus which possesses a similarly large simian shelf and with which Aeolopithecus agrees in most other observable features except for its much smaller size.
