A new Middle Miocene tarsier from Thailand and the reconstruction of its orbital morphology using a geometric–morphometric method

Chaimanee, Yaowalak; Lebrun, Renaud; Yamee, Chotima; Jaeger, Jean‐Jacques

doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.2062

Cited by 25 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Thus, the last common ancestor of T. bancanus and T. syrichta is hypothesized to have had a diurnal or cathemeral (arrhythmic) activity pattern [17]. This hypothesis is compatible with the view that stem tarsiers were diurnal; however, the evolution of hyper-enlarged orbits during the Middle Eocene [18] and Middle Miocene [19] predates the divergence of T. bancanus and T. syrichta in the Late Miocene [20,21]. Extraordinarily large eyes are strongly suggestive of activity under dark (scotopic) light levels.…”

Section: (A) Tarsiers and Trichromatic Colour Visionsupporting

confidence: 73%

“…Such a finding would normally suggest a diurnal activity pattern because high-acuity trichromatic vision is strongly associated with bright ( photopic) conditions; however, this Middle Miocene population of tarsiers [21,34] postdates or is coincident with the existence of hyper-enlarged orbits in the genus ( [18,19]; figure 3). The evolution of extraordinary eye size is functionally incompatible with diurnality and inconsistent with cathemerality, an activity pattern that favours intermediate ocular morphologies [35 -38].…”

Section: (A) Implications For Anthropoid Originsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Inferred L/M cone opsin polymorphism of ancestral tarsiers sheds dim light on the origin of anthropoid primates

et al. 2013

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Tarsiers are small nocturnal primates with a long history of fuelling debate on the origin and evolution of anthropoid primates. Recently, the discovery of M and L opsin genes in two sister species, Tarsius bancanus (Bornean tarsier) and Tarsius syrichta (Philippine tarsier), respectively, was interpreted as evidence of an ancestral long-to-middle (L/M) opsin polymorphism, which, in turn, suggested a diurnal or cathemeral (arrhythmic) activity pattern. This view is compatible with the hypothesis that stem tarsiers were diurnal; however, a reversion to nocturnality during the Middle Eocene, as evidenced by hyperenlarged orbits, predates the divergence of T. bancanus and T. syrichta in the Late Miocene. Taken together, these findings suggest that some nocturnal tarsiers possessed high-acuity trichromatic vision, a concept that challenges prevailing views on the adaptive origins of the anthropoid visual system. It is, therefore, important to explore the plausibility and antiquity of trichromatic vision in the genus Tarsius. Here, we show that Sulawesi tarsiers (Tarsius tarsier), a phylogenetic out-group of Philippine and Bornean tarsiers, have an L opsin gene that is more similar to the L opsin gene of T. syrichta than to the M opsin gene of T. bancanus in non-synonymous nucleotide sequence. This result suggests that an L/M opsin polymorphism is the ancestral character state of crown tarsiers and raises the possibility that many hallmarks of the anthropoid visual system evolved under dim (mesopic) light conditions. This interpretation challenges the persistent nocturnal-diurnal dichotomy that has long informed debate on the origin of anthropoid primates.

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Section: (A) Tarsiers and Trichromatic Colour Visionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: (A) Implications For Anthropoid Originsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inferred L/M cone opsin polymorphism of ancestral tarsiers sheds dim light on the origin of anthropoid primates

et al. 2013

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“…Tarsiers have a scarce fossil record [ 35 , 36 ] notoriously impeding the choice of calibration points for a robust estimation of divergence times on the tarsier lineage. We therefore used mean node age estimates of a recently published primate phylogeny based on comprehensive genomic and fossil data [ 34 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stop and Go – Waves of Tarsier Dispersal Mirror the Genesis of Sulawesi Island

Driller

Merker

Perwitasari-Farajallah

et al. 2015

PLoS ONE

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The Indonesian island of Sulawesi harbors a highly endemic and diverse fauna sparking fascination since long before Wallace’s contemplation of biogeographical patterns in the region. Allopatric diversification driven by geological or climatic processes has been identified as the main mechanism shaping present faunal distribution on the island. There is both consensus and conflict among range patterns of terrestrial species pointing to the different effects of vicariant events on once co-distributed taxa. Tarsiers, small nocturnal primates with possible evidence of an Eocene fossil record on the Asian mainland, are at present exclusively found in insular Southeast Asia. Sulawesi is hotspot of tarsier diversity, whereby island colonization and subsequent radiation of this old endemic primate lineage remained largely enigmatic. To resolve the phylogeographic history of Sulawesi tarsiers we analyzed an island-wide sample for a set of five approved autosomal phylogenetic markers (ABCA1, ADORA3, AXIN1, RAG1, and TTR) and the paternally inherited SRY gene. We constructed ML and Bayesian phylogenetic trees and estimated divergence times between tarsier populations. We found that their arrival at the Proto-Sulawesi archipelago coincided with initial Miocene tectonic uplift and hypothesize that tarsiers dispersed over the region in distinct waves. Intra-island diversification was spurred by land emergence and a rapid succession of glacial cycles during the Plio-Pleistocene. Some tarsier range boundaries concur with spatial limits in other taxa backing the notion of centers of faunal endemism on Sulawesi. This congruence, however, has partially been superimposed by taxon-specific dispersal patterns.

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“…Adaptations for greater visual sensitivity include hyperenlarged eyes and orbits [24]. The latter trait has deep antiquity in the genus, occurring in Middle Eocene [43] and Middle Miocene [44] fossils. It follows that nocturnal visual predation is an enduring aspect of tarsier biology, yet some evidence points to a diurnal ancestor in the recent past.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional preservation and variation in the cone opsin genes of nocturnal tarsiers

Moritz

Ong

Perry

et al. 2017

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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The short-wavelength sensitive (S-) opsin gene is pseudogenized in some nocturnal primates and retained in others, enabling dichromatic colour vision. Debate on the functional significance of this variation has focused on dark conditions, yet many nocturnal species initiate activity under dim (mesopic) light levels that can support colour vision. Tarsiers are nocturnal, twilight-active primates and exemplary visual predators; they also express different colour vision phenotypes, raising the possibility of discrete adaptations to mesopic conditions. To explore this premise, we conducted a field study in two stages. First, to estimate the level of functional constraint on colour vision, we sequenced in 12 wild-caught Philippine tarsiers (). Second, to explore whether the dichromatic visual systems of Philippine and Bornean () tarsiers-which express alternate versions of the medium/long-wavelength sensitive (M/L-) opsin gene /-confer differential advantages specific to their respective habitats, we used twilight and moonlight conditions to model the visual contrasts of invertebrate prey. We detected a signature of purifying selection for , indicating that colour vision confers an adaptive advantage to tarsiers. However, this advantage extends to a relatively small proportion of prey-background contrasts, and mostly brown arthropod prey amid leaf litter. We also found that the colour vision of is advantageous for discriminating prey under twilight that is enriched in shorter (bluer) wavelengths, a plausible idiosyncrasy of understorey habitats in Borneo.This article is part of the themed issue 'Vision in dim light'.

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A new Middle Miocene tarsier from Thailand and the reconstruction of its orbital morphology using a geometric–morphometric method

Cited by 25 publications

References 30 publications

Inferred L/M cone opsin polymorphism of ancestral tarsiers sheds dim light on the origin of anthropoid primates

Inferred L/M cone opsin polymorphism of ancestral tarsiers sheds dim light on the origin of anthropoid primates

Stop and Go – Waves of Tarsier Dispersal Mirror the Genesis of Sulawesi Island

Functional preservation and variation in the cone opsin genes of nocturnal tarsiers

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