List of fossil primates


This is a list of fossil primates—extinct primates for which a fossil record exists. Primates are generally thought to have evolved from a small, unspecialized mammal, which probably fed on insects and fruits. However, the precise source of the primates remains controversial and even their arboreal origin has recently been questioned. As it has been suggested, many other mammal orders are arboreal too, but they have not developed the same characteristics as primates. Nowadays, some well known genera, such as Purgatorius and Plesiadapis, thought to be the most ancient primates for a long time, are not usually considered as such by recent authors, who tend to include them in the new order Plesiadapiformes, within superorder Euarchontoglires. Some, to avoid confusions, employ the unranked term Euprimates, which excludes Plesiadapiformes. That denomination is not used here.
There is an academic debate on the time the first primates appeared. One of the earliest probable primate fossils is the problematic Altiatlasius koulchii, perhaps an Omomyid, but perhaps a non-Primate Plesiadapiform, which lived in Morocco, during the Paleocene, around 60 Ma. However, other studies, including molecular clock studies, have estimated the origin of the primate branch to have been in the mid-Cretaceous period, around 85 Ma, that is to say, in the time previous to the extinction of dinosaurs and the successful mammal radiation. Nevertheless, there seems to be a consensus about the monophyletic origin of the order, although the evidence is not clear.
The order Primates, established by Linnaeus in 1758, includes humans and their immediate ancestors. However, contrarily to the common opinion, most primates do not have especially large brains. Brain size is a derived character, which only appeared with genus Homo, and was lacking in the first hominid. In fact, hominid encephalization quotient is only 1.5 Ma more recent than that of some dolphin species. The encephalization quotient of some cetaceans is therefore higher than that of most primates, including the nearest relatives of humans, such as Australopithecus.
This list follows partly from Walter Carl Hartwig's 2002 book The Fossil Primate Record and John G. Fleagle's 2013 book Primate Adaptation and Evolution. Parentheses around authors' names indicates a change in generic name for the fossil, as stated in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Since the publication of the book as well as the creation of this article, new fossil taxon have been discovered that has helped improved the taxonomy among primates in general.

Strepsirrhini

Infraorder Adapiformes

Adapoidea

  • Ekgmowechashalidae Szalay, 1976
  • * Bugtilemur Marivaux et al., 2001
  • ** Bugtilemur mathesoni Marivaux et al., 2001
  • * Ekgmowechashala Macdonald, 1963
  • ** Ekgmowechashala philotau Macdonald, 1963
  • ** Ekgmowechashala zancanellai Samuels, Albright & Fremd, 2015
  • * Gatanthropus Ni et al., 2016
  • ** Gatanthropus micros Ni et al., 2016
  • * Muangthanhinius Marivaux et al., 2006
  • ** Muangthanhinius siami Marivaux et al., 2006Notharctidae Trouessart, 1879
  • * Notharctinae Trouessart, 1879
  • ** Cantius Simons, 1962
  • *** Cantius abditus Gingerich & Simmons, 1977
  • *** Cantius angulatus Cope, 1875
  • *** Cantius antediluvius Kihm, 1992
  • *** Cantius eppsi Cooper, 1932
  • *** Cantius frugivorus Cope, 1875
  • *** Cantius lohseorum Robinson, 2016
  • *** Cantius mckennai Gingerich & Simons, 1977
  • *** Cantius nuniensis Cope, 1881
  • *** Cantius ralstoni Matthew, 1915
  • *** Cantius savagei Gingerich, 1977
  • *** Cantius torresi Gingerich, 1986
  • ** Copelemur Gingerich & Simons, 1977
  • *** Copelemur australotutus Beard, 1988
  • *** Copelemur praetutus Gazin, 1962
  • *** Copelemur tutus Cope, 1877
  • ** Hesperolemur Gunnell, 1995
  • *** Hesperolemur actius Gunnell, 1995
  • ** Megaceralemur Robinson, 2016
  • *** Megaceralemur trigonodus
  • *** Megaceralemur matthewi Robinson, 2016
  • ** Notharctus Leidy, 1870
  • *** Notharctus pugnax Granger & Gregory, 1917
  • *** Notharctus robustior Leidy, 1870
  • *** Notharctus tenebrosus Leidy, 1870
  • *** Notharctus venticolus Osborn, 1902
  • ** Pelycodus Cope, 1875
  • *** Pelycodus danielsae Froehlich & Lucas, 1991
  • *** Pelycodus jarrovii Cope, 1874
  • ** Pinolophus Robinson, 2016
  • *** Pinolophus meikei Robinson, 2016
  • ** Smilodectes Wortman, 1903
  • *** Smilodectes gingerichi Beard, 1988
  • *** Smilodectes gracilis Marsh, 1871
  • *** Smilodectes mcgrewi Gingerich, 1979
  • * Cercamoniinae Gingerich, 1975
  • ** Agerinia Crusafont-Pairo & Golpe-Posse, 1973
  • *** Agerinia marandati Femenias-Gual, Minwer-Barakat, Marigó, Poyatos-Moré, and Moyà-Solà, 2017
  • *** Agerinia roselli Crusafont-Pairo & Golpe-Posse, 1973
  • *** Agerinia smithorum Femenias-Gual, Minwer-Barakat, Marigó, and Moyà-Solà, 2016
  • ** Anchomomys Stehlin, 1916
  • *** Anchomomys crocheti Godinot, 1988
  • *** Anchomomys gaillardi Stehlin, 1916
  • *** Anchomomys pygmaeus Rütimeyer, 1890
  • *** Anchomomys quercy Stehlin, 1916
  • ** Barnesia Thalmann, 1994
  • *** Barnesia hauboldi Thalmann, 1994
  • ** Buxella Godinot, 1988
  • *** Buxella magna Godinot, 1988
  • *** Buxella prisca Godinot, 1988
  • ** Donrussellia Szalay, 1976
  • *** Donrussellia gallica Russell, Louis & Savage, 1967
  • *** Donrussellia louisi
  • *** Donrussellia magna
  • *** Donrussellia provincialis
  • *** Donrussellia russelli
  • ** Mazateronodon Marigó, Minwer-Barakat, & Moyà-Solà, 2010
  • *** Mazateronodon endemicus Marigó, Minwer-Barakat, & Moyà-Solà, 2010
  • ** Panobius Russell & Gingerich, 1987
  • *** Panobius afridi Russell & Gingerich, 1987
  • ** Periconodon Stehlin, 1916
  • *** Periconodon helleri Schwartz et al., 1983
  • *** Periconodon helveticus Rütimeyer, 1891
  • *** Periconodon huerzeleri Gingerich, 1977
  • *** Periconodon jaegeri Godinot, 1988
  • *** Periconodon lemoinei Gingerich, 1977
  • ** Protoadapis Lemoine, 1878
  • *** Protoadapis angustidens Filhol, 1888
  • *** Protoadapis brachyrhynchus Stehlin, 1912
  • *** Protoadapis curvicuspidens Lemoine, 1878
  • *** Protoadapis ignoratus Thalmann, 1994
  • *** Protoadapis muechelnensis Thalmann, 1994
  • *** Protoadapis recticuspidens Lemoine, 1878
  • *** Protoadapis weigelti Gingerich, 1977
  • ** Pronycticebus Grandidier, 1904
  • *** Pronycticebus gaudryi Grandidier, 1904
  • *** Pronycticebus neglectus Thalmann et al., 1989Asiadapidae Rose et al., 2009
  • * Anthrasimias Bajpai et al., 2008
  • ** Anthrasimias gujaratensis Bajpai et al., 2008
  • * Asiadapis Rose et al., 2007
  • ** Asiadapis cambayensis Rose et al., 2007
  • ** Asiadapis tapiensis Rose et al., 2018
  • * Marcgodinotius Bajpai et al., 2005
  • ** Marcgodinotius indicus Bajpai et al., 2005Adapidae Trouessart, 1879
  • * Adapinae Trouesart, 1879
  • ** Adapis Cuvier, 1821
  • *** Adapis bruni
  • *** Adapis collinsonae Hooker, 1986
  • *** Adapis parisiensis de Blainville, 1841
  • *** Adapis sudrei Gingerich, 1977
  • ** Cryptadapis Godinot, 1984
  • *** Cryptadapis laharpei Godinot, 1984
  • *** Cryptadapis tertius Godinot, 1984
  • ** Leptadapis Gervais, 1876
  • *** Leptadapis assolicus
  • *** Leptadapis filholi Godinot & Couette, 2008
  • *** Leptadapis capellae Crusafont-Pairo, 1967
  • *** Leptadapis leenhardti Stehlin, 1912
  • *** Leptadapis magnus Filhol, 1874
  • *** Leptadapis ruetimeyeri Stehlin, 1912
  • ** Magnadapis Godinot & Couette, 2008
  • *** Magnadapis quercyi Godinot & Couette, 2008
  • *** Magnadapis fredi Godinot & Couette, 2008
  • *** Magnadapis laurenceae Godinot & Couette, 2008
  • *** Magnadapis intermedius Godinot & Couette, 2008
  • ** Microadapis Szalay, 1974
  • *** Microadapis lynnae
  • *** Microadapis sciureus Stehlin, 1916
  • ** Palaeolemur Delfortrie, 1873
  • *** Palaeolemur betillei Delfortrie, 1873
  • ** Paradapis Tattersall & Schwartz 1983
  • *** Paradapis ruetimeyeri Stehlin 1912
  • *** Paradapis priscus Stehlin, 1916
  • * Caenopithecinae Szalay & Delson 1979
  • ** Adapoides Beard et al., 1994
  • *** Adapoides troglodytes Beard et al., 1994
  • ** Afradapis Seiffert et al., 2009
  • *** Afradapis longicristatus Seiffert et al., 2009
  • ** Aframonius Simons et al., 1995
  • *** Aframonius diedes Simons et al., 1995
  • ** Caenopithecus Rütimeyer, 1862
  • *** Caenopithecus lemuroides Rütimeyer, 1862
  • ** Darwinius Franzen et al., 2009
  • *** Darwinius masillae Franzen et al., 2009
  • ** Europolemur Weigelt, 1933
  • *** Europolemur dunaifi Tattersall & Schwartz, 1983
  • *** Europolemur klatti Weigelt, 1933
  • *** Europolemur koenigswald Franzen, 1987
  • ** Godinotia Franzen, 2000
  • *** Godinotia neglecta Thalmann, Haubold & Martin, 1989
  • ** Mahgarita Wilson & Szalay, 1976
  • *** Mahgarita stevensi Wilson & Szalay, 1976
  • ** Masradapis Seiffert, Boyer, Fleagle, Gunnell, Heesy, Perry, Sallam, 2017
  • *** Masradapis tahai Seiffert, Boyer, Fleagle, Gunnell, Heesy, Perry, and Sallam, 2017
  • ** Mescalerolemur Kirk & Williams, 2011
  • *** Mescalerolemur horneri Kirk & Williams, 2011Sivaladapidae Thomas & Verma, 1979
  • * Ramadapis Gilbert, Patel, Singh, Campisano, Fleagle, Rust, and Patnaik, 2017
  • ** Ramadapis sahnii Gilbert, Patel, Singh, Campisano, Fleagle, Rust, and Patnaik, 2017
  • * Sivaladapinae Thomas & Verma, 1979
  • ** Indraloris Lewis, 1933
  • *** Indraloris himalayensis Pilgrim, 1932
  • *** Indraloris kamlialensis Flynn and Morgan, 2005
  • ** Sinoadapis Wu & Pan, 1985
  • *** Sinoadapis carnosus Wu & Pan, 1985
  • ** Sivaladapis Gingerich & Sahni, 1979
  • *** Sivaladapis nagrii Prasad, 1970
  • *** Sivaladapis palaendicus Pilgrim, 1932
  • * Hoanghoniinae Gingerich et al., 1994
  • ** Hoanghonius Zdansky, 1930
  • *** Hoanghonius stehlini Zdansky, 1930
  • ** Lushius Chow, 1961
  • *** Lushius qinlinensis Chow, 1961
  • ** Rencunius Gingerich et al., 1994
  • *** Rencunius zhoui Gingerich et al., 1994
  • ** Wailekia Ducrocq et al., 1995
  • *** Wailekia orientale Ducrocq et al., 1995
  • * incertae sedis
  • ** Guangxilemur Qi & Beard, 1998
  • *** Guangxilemur tongi Qi & Beard, 1998
  • ** Kyitchaungia Beard et al. 2007
  • *** Kyitchaungia takaii Beard et al. 2007
  • ** Laomaki Ni et al. 2016
  • *** Laomaki yunnanensis Ni et al. 2016
  • ** Paukkaungia Beard et al. 2007
  • *** Paukkaungia parva Beard et al. 2007
  • ** Siamoadapis Chaimanee et al., 2007
  • *** Siamoadapis maemohensis Chaimanee et al., 2007
  • ** Yunnanadapis Ni et al. 2016
  • *** Yunnanadapis folivorus Ni et al. 2016
  • *** Yunnanadapis imperator Ni et al. 2016

Infraorder Lemuriformes

Lemuroidea

Subfossil lemurs:

Haplorhini

Simiiformes

Simiiformes, ''incertae sedis''

Proteopithecidae Simons, 1997Parapithecidae Schlosser, 1911

Platyrrhini

Catarrhini

Catarrhini, ''incertae sedis''
Propliothecoidea
Oligopithecidae Kay & Williams, 1994Propliopithecidae Straus, 1961
Pliopithecoidea
Pliopithecidae Zapfe, 1960

Literature cited

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