Ekembo

{{short description|Genus of extinct ape}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| fossil_range = Miocene, {{Fossil range|20|11.608}}

| image = Ekembo nyanzae skeleton 7.jpg

| image_alt = "Ekembo nyanzae" skeleton (formerly "Proconsul nyanzae")

| image_caption = Ekembo nyanzae skeleton (formerly Proconsul nyanzae)

| taxon = Ekembo

| display_parents = 2

| authority = McNulty et al., 2015

| synonyms =

| synonyms_ref =

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision =

• Ekembo heseloni
• Ekembo nyanzae

}}

Ekembo is an early ape (hominoid) genus found in 17- to 20-million-year-old sediments from the Miocene epoch. Specimens have been found at sites around the ancient Kisingiri volcano in Kenya on Rusinga Island and Mfangano Island in Lake Victoria. The name Ekembo is Suba for "ape" or "monkey".Kieran P. McNulty, David R. Begun, Jay Kelley, Fredrick K. Manthi and Emma N. Mbua (2015). "A systematic revision of Proconsul with the description of a new genus of early Miocene hominoid". Journal of Human Evolution. 84: 42-61. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.03.009.

To account for substantial morphological variation in the genus Proconsul, two species, P. nyanzae and P. heseloni, were placed in the new genus Ekembo. Ekembo is one of the earliest ape (Hominoids), after having diverged from the old world monkeys. The Dendropithecidae appear to be sister to Ekembo. Ekembo was found to be paraphyletic with respect to Proconsul and the more advanced Hominoidea.{{Cite journal|last1=Rossie|first1=James B.|last2=Hill|first2=Andrew|date=2018-12-01|title=A new species of Simiolus from the middle Miocene of the Tugen Hills, Kenya|journal=Journal of Human Evolution|language=en|volume=125|pages=50–58|doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.09.002|issn=0047-2484|pmid=30502897|bibcode=2018JHumE.125...50R |s2cid=54625375}}{{Cite journal|last1=Rasmussen|first1=D. Tab|last2=Friscia|first2=Anthony R.|last3=Gutierrez|first3=Mercedes|last4=Kappelman|first4=John|last5=Miller|first5=Ellen R.|last6=Muteti|first6=Samuel|last7=Reynoso|first7=Dawn|last8=Rossie|first8=James B.|last9=Spell|first9=Terry L.|date=2019-03-11|title=Primitive Old World monkey from the earliest Miocene of Kenya and the evolution of cercopithecoid bilophodonty|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|volume=116|issue=13|language=en|pages=6051–6056|doi=10.1073/pnas.1815423116|pmid=30858323|issn=0027-8424|pmc=6442627|bibcode=2019PNAS..116.6051R |doi-access=free}}