Final answer:
Extinct relatives of New World monkeys, or platyrrhines, can be found in the Old World, specifically in Africa and Asia. They evolved around 40 million years ago, with early ancestors such as Propliopithecus originating in Africa. These primates underwent adaptive radiations leading to the separate lineages we recognize today.
Step-by-step explanation:
Extinct Platyrrhine-Like Primates Outside South America
Extinct platyrrhine-like primates outside of South America are found primarily in the Old World regions of Africa and Asia. During the Oligocene epoch, approximately 40 million years ago, evidence suggests that monkeys were present in both the New World and the Old World following an evolutionary divergence from prosimians. However, due to the separation of the continents and subsequent reproductive isolation, New World monkeys (Platyrrhini) and Old World monkeys (Catarrhini) underwent separate adaptive radiations. Platyrrhini primarily evolved in the Americas, whereas fossil evidence indicates that the earliest ancestors to these primates, including groups like Propliopithecus, first evolved in Africa before dispersing.
In addition to Propliopithecus, a group of early catarrhine primates known as propliopithecoids also represent early ancestral forms to Old World primates. These early primate fossils were found in the fossils beds of Fayum in Egypt and are significant for understanding the primate evolution and biogeography. While live platyrrhine primates are confined to the New World tropics today, the extinct relatives and evolutionary ancestors of these New World monkeys can be traced back to their Old World origins in Africa and to a lesser extent, in the Asian continent.