Rukwapithecus

{{Short description|Extinct genus of primates}}

{{Speciesbox

| fossil_range = {{fossil_range|25.2|25.2}}

| extinct = yes

| genus = Rukwapithecus

| species = fleaglei

| display_parents = 4

| parent_authority = Stevens et al., 2013

| authority = Stevens et al., 2013

}}

Rukwapithecus fleaglei, the only species of the genus Rukwapithecus, is a fossil primate. Known from a single lower jaw preserving four teeth, it is interpreted as the earliest hominoid, a member of the group that includes gibbons, humans, and other apes. It is known from the Nsungwe Formation of south-western Tanzania, which dates to just over 25.2 million years ago. This area has also yielded the early Old World monkey Nsungwepithecus. Phylogenetic analysis places it within the group Nyanzapithecinae, related to Rangwapithecus and Nyanzapithecus.{{cite journal | last1 = Stevens | first1 = Nancy J. | last2 = Seiffert | first2 = Erik R. | last3 = O'Connor | first3 = Patrick M. | last4 = Roberts | first4 = Eric M. | last5 = Schmitz | first5 = Mark D. | last6 = Krause | first6 = Cornelia | last7 = Gorscak | first7 = Eric | last8 = Ngasala | first8 = Sifa | last9 = Hieronymus | first9 = Tobin L. | last10 = Temu | first10 = Joseph | year = 2013 | doi = 10.1038/nature12161 | pages = 611–614 | title = Palaeontological evidence for an Oligocene divergence between Old World monkeys and apes | journal = Nature | volume = 497 | issue = 7451| pmid = 23676680 | bibcode = 2013Natur.497..611S | url = https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/28740/4/28740%20Stevens%20et%20al%202013%20accepted%20version.pdf }}