Anthropomorpha

Anthropomorpha is a defunct taxon which contained the manlike, or anthropoid, apes. [cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary |editor=Porter, N. |publisher=G & C. Merriam |year=1913]

The order was established by Carl Linnaeus in the first edition of his book Systema Naturae (1735) for genera "Homo" (humans), "Simia" (monkeys and apes in general) and "Bradypus" (sloths). [cite book | author = Linnaeus, C. | year = 1735 | title = Sistema naturae sive regna tria Naturae systematice proposita per classes, ordines, genera, & species| publisher = apud Theodorum Haak, Lugduni Batavorum | pages = s.p.] In the 1758 editon of the same book, Linnaeus discarded this name and began to use the word Primates, which has replaced Anthopomorpha completely.

The name is no longer considered valid, as the animals that were included within Anthropomorpha are now believed to belong to multiple clades. For example, two-toed sloths were included within Anthropomorpha, Citation|newspaper=New York Times|title=Forgotten, Yes. But Happy Birthday Anyway|date=December 30, 2007|year=2007|author=Conniff, R.|url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/travel/30Cultured.html|accessdate=2008-08-22] but are now considered to be in the family Megalonychidae, which is not closely related to the primates.MSW3 Gardner|pages=101|id=11800016] The taxon Anthropomorpha was originally proposed by Carolus Linnaeus, although Linnaeus' archenemy, the Comte de Buffon, correctly rejected the combination of sloths and humans within the same order.

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