African wild ass descendant. Thus, if one species is recognized, the correct scientific name of the donkey is "E. africanus asinus". The first published name for the African wild ass, "Asinus africanus", Fitzinger, 1858, is a nomen nudum. The name "Equus taeniopus" von Heuglin, 1861 is rejected as indeterminable, as it is based on an animal that cannot be identified and may have been a hybrid between a domestic donkey and a Somali wild ass; the type has not been preserved. The first available name thus becomes "Asinus africanus" von Heuglin & Fitzinger, 1866. A lectotype is designated: a skull of an adult
Proconsul africanus has a talus in which the trochlear surface is highly curved and deeply grooved. The foot of this species possessed a transverse arch. "Proconsul africanus" had a brachial index of 96 which is comparable to the extant genus "Pan". Overall the skeleton of this species can be described as being robust. This species had an average body mass of around . Based upon the dental morphology, it is conjectured that "Proconsul africanus" was a frugivorous species. A study by Aiello in 1981 concluded it was a "below-branch feeder." Based on postcranial pieces, "Proconsul africanus" was likely an arboreal quadruped. Proconsul