The oldest known primate skeleton and early haplorhine evolution

Ni, Xijun; Gebo, Daniel L.; Dagosto, Marian; Meng, Jin; Tafforeau, Paul; Flynn, John J.; Beard, K. Christopher

doi:10.1038/nature12200

Cited by 211 publications

(167 citation statements)

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“…Plesiadapiforms, a geographically widespread radiation of Paleogene mammals , are the only group of fossils widely regarded as probable stem primates (Simpson, 1935;Gingerich, 1976;Szalay and Delson, 1979;Szalay et al, 1987;Bloch and Boyer, 2002;Janecka et al, 2007). Though various researchers remain skeptical about plesiadapiforms as stem primates [see Godinot (2007)] and some well-sampled cladistic analyses contradict this idea (e.g., Ni et al, 2013), plesiadapiforms are universally regarded as members of Euarchonta, a group whose extant members include primates, dermopterans (Cynocephalus and Galeopterus, the "flying lemurs"), and scandentians (Tupaiidae and Ptilocercidae, the treeshrews) (Szalay and Decker, 1974;Szalay and Delson, 1979;Szalay and Dagosto, 1980;Szalay and Drawhorn, 1980;Szalay et al, 1987;Bloch and Boyer, 2002;Cartmill, 2012). At the very least, plesiadapiforms are the only euarchontans with a sampled postcranial fossil record just prior to the appearance of taxa usually assumed to be members of euprimates.…”

Section: Fossil Taxa Reviewed: Systematic Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The articulated partial skeleton of Archicebus achilles (Ni et al, 2013) reveals long metatarsals (unlike tarsiers or strepsirrhines) and a long tibia, giving it more treeshrew-like (or platyrrhinelike) foot and hind limb proportions. Simons (1972) used the term "primates of modern aspect" with less presumption about the phylogenetic relationships of omomyiforms and adapiforms.…”

Section: Godinotia Neglectamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hands of early primates

Boyer

Yapuncich

Chester

et al. 2013

American J Phys Anthropol

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Questions surrounding the origin and early evolution of primates continue to be the subject of debate. Though anatomy of the skull and inferred dietary shifts are often the focus, detailed studies of postcrania and inferred locomotor capabilities can also provide crucial data that advance understanding of transitions in early primate evolution. In particular, the hand skeleton includes characteristics thought to reflect foraging, locomotion, and posture. Here we review what is known about the early evolution of primate hands from a comparative perspective that incorporates data from the fossil record. Additionally, we provide new comparative data and documentation of skeletal morphology for Paleogene plesiadapiforms, notharctines, cercamoniines, adapines, and omomyiforms. Finally, we discuss implications of these data for understanding locomotor transitions during the origin and early evolutionary history of primates. Known plesiadapiform species cannot be differentiated from extant primates based on either intrinsic hand proportions or hand-to-body size proportions. Nonetheless, the presence of claws and a different carpometacarpal joint form in plesiadapiforms indicate different grasping mechanics. Notharctines and cercamoniines have intrinsic hand proportions with extremely elongated proximal phalanges and digit rays relative to metacarpals, resembling tarsiers and galagos. But their hand-to-body size proportions are typical of many extant primates (unlike those of tarsiers, and possibly Teilhardina, which have extremely large hands). Non-adapine adapiforms and omomyids exhibit additional carpal features suggesting more limited dorsiflexion, greater ulnar deviation, and a more habitually divergent pollex than observed plesiadapiforms. Together, features differentiating adapiforms and omomyiforms from plesiadapiforms indicate increased reliance on vertical prehensileclinging and grasp-leaping, possibly in combination with predatory behaviors in ancestral euprimates. Am J Phys Anthropol 57:33-78,

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Section: Fossil Taxa Reviewed: Systematic Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Godinotia Neglectamentioning

confidence: 99%

Hands of early primates

Boyer

Yapuncich

Chester

et al. 2013

American J Phys Anthropol

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show abstract

“…Some researchers who have preferred to restrict the order Primates to the crown-clade (i.e., Euprimates) have also questioned the primate affinities of Purgatorius and other Paleogene plesiadapiforms (reputed stem primates) (e.g., refs 7 and 8). Furthermore, several recent phylogenetic analyses have not supported Purgatorius in Primates (9) or even in Placentalia (crown-clade eutherians) (10)(11)(12). New evidence supporting Purgatorius as the oldest plesiadapiform primate is derived from tarsal bones collected at the late Puercan (Pu3; ∼65 Mya) Garbani Channel fauna localities in Garfield County, northeastern Montana.…”

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confidence: 99%

Oldest known euarchontan tarsals and affinities of Paleocene Purgatorius to Primates

Chester

Bloch

Boyer

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Earliest Paleocene Purgatorius often is regarded as the geologically oldest primate, but it has been known only from fossilized dentitions since it was first described half a century ago. The dentition of Purgatorius is more primitive than those of all known living and fossil primates, leading some researchers to suggest that it lies near the ancestry of all other primates; however, others have questioned its affinities to primates or even to placental mammals. Here we report the first (to our knowledge) nondental remains (tarsal bones) attributed to Purgatorius from the same earliest Paleocene deposits that have yielded numerous fossil dentitions of this poorly known mammal. Three independent phylogenetic analyses that incorporate new data from these fossils support primate affinities of Purgatorius among euarchontan mammals (primates, treeshrews, and colugos). Astragali and calcanei attributed to Purgatorius indicate a mobile ankle typical of arboreal euarchontan mammals generally and of Paleocene and Eocene plesiadapiforms specifically and provide the earliest fossil evidence of arboreality in primates and other euarchontan mammals. Postcranial specializations for arboreality in the earliest primates likely played a key role in the evolutionary success of this mammalian radiation in the Paleocene.

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“…185 combined, and script for calculating the Bremer Supports and Relative Bremer Supports were 186 adopted from Ni et al (2013 …”

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confidence: 99%

Morphology of an Early Oligocene beaver Propalaeocastor irtyshensis and the status of the genus Propalaeocastor

et al. 2017

Preprint

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The Early to Late Oligocene Propalaeocastor is the earliest known beaver genus from Eurasia. Although many species of this genus have been described, these species are defined based on very fragmentary specimens. Propalaeocastor irtyshensis from the Early Oligocene Irtysh River Formation in northwestern Xinjiang, China is one of the earliestknown members of Propalaeocastor. This species is defined on a single maxillary fragment.We revise the diagnosis of P. irtyshensis and the genus Propalaeocastor, based on newly discovered specimens from the Irtysh River Formation. The dental morphology of P.irtyshensis is very similar to other early castorids. The caudal palatine foramen of P.irtyshensis is situated in the maxillary-palatine suture. This is a feature generally accept as diagnostic character for the castorids. On the other hand, P. irtyshensis has two upper premolars, a rudimentarily developed sciuromorph-like zygomatic plate, and a relatively large protrogomorph-like infraorbital foramen. Some previous researchers suggested that Propalaeocastor is a junior synonym of Steneofiber, while other took it as a valid genus.Our morphological comparison and phylogenetic analysis suggest that Propalaeocastor differs from Steneofiber and is a valid genus. We also suggest that Agnotocastor aubekerovi, A. coloradensis, A. galushai, A. readingi Flynn & Jacobs, 2008). Extant beavers include one genus and two 45 species (Castor fiber and C. canadensis). Fossil beavers are much more diverse, including at 46 least twenty seven genera and more than one hundred species (McKenna & Bell, 1997; Korth & 47 Samuels, 2015;Mörs, Tomida & Kalthoff, 2016; https://www.paleobiodb.org/). It is generally 48 accepted that all beavers represent a monophyletic family: Castoridae (McKenna & Bell, 1997; 49 Helgen, 2005;. Castoridae is closely related to the extinct family 50 Eutypomyidae, and the two families are usually referred to the superfamily Castoroidea 51 (Simpson, 1945; Wood, 1955 Wood, , 1965Hugueney, 1999;Flynn & Jacobs, 2008). Within crown 52 rodents, phylogenetic analyses based on molecular data and/or morphological data usually 53 support the sister-group relationship between the castorids and the geomyoids (a superfamily of 54 rodents that contains the pocket gophers, the kangaroo rats and mice (e.g., Douady et al., 2000; 55 Adkins et al., 2001;Adkins, Walton & Honeycutt, 2003;Murphy et al., 2001; Huchon et al., 56 2002;Montgelard et al., 2002;Fabre et al., 2012). 58The earliest-known castorid fossil, "Agnotocastor" galushai, was discovered from the South 59 Fork of Lone Tree Gulch of Wyoming (Emry, 1972 62 2015). The dental and cranial morphology of Agnotocastor shares many similarities with the 63 eutypomsid Eutypomys (Wilson, 1949a; Wood, 1965; Wahlert, 1977; Xu, 1995Xu, , 1996 Flynn & 64 Jacobs, 2008 ). The earliest-known beavers outside of the North America belong to the genus 65 Propalaeocastor Borissoglebskaya, 1967(Misonne, 1957Borisoglebskaya, 1967; Lytschev, 66 1970;Kretzoi, 1974;Bendukidze, 1993;Lytschev & Shevy...

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The oldest known primate skeleton and early haplorhine evolution

Cited by 211 publications

References 35 publications

Hands of early primates

Hands of early primates

Oldest known euarchontan tarsals and affinities of Paleocene Purgatorius to Primates

Morphology of an Early Oligocene beaver Propalaeocastor irtyshensis and the status of the genus Propalaeocastor

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