Plesiadapoidea

Belongs within: Euarchonta.

The Plesiadapoidea are a group of arboreal mammals known from the Palaeocene and Early Eocene (Bloch et al. 2007). Plesiadapidae were fairly squirrel-like in general appearance, with large, chisel-like incisors and a diastema in more advanced forms (Rose 2006).

Synapomorphies (from Bloch et al. 2007): I³ absent; lower canine smaller than adjacent teeth; P₄ talonid not basined, with one distinct cusp; P³ buccal length more than twice lingual length; P⁴ with one large conule present, intermediate ridge present, preprotocrista absent; lower molar paraconids subequal to or taller than metaconid; M₃ talonid similar in breadth to trigonid or wider; relative size of M³ >0.9 (based on calculation Ln [buccal(length*width) of M³/Ln [buccal (length*width) of M¹); M¹ or M² postprotocingulum pronounced; posterior carotid foramen posteromedial; lumbar transverse processes short and lateral to centrum, not projecting ventrally beyond centrum.

<==PlesiadapoideaBS07
    |--+--Saxonella [Saxonellidae]NG13
    |  |    |--S. crepaturasNG13
    |  |    `--S. nayloriBS07
    |  `--+--Chronolestes simulNG13
    |     `--CarpolestidaeBS07
    |          |  i. s.: Carpodaptes Matthew & Granger 1921BS07, S35a
    |          |           |--*C. aulacodon Matthew & Granger 1921S35a
    |          |           `--C. cygneusBS07
    |          |         SubengiusR06
    |          |--Elphidotarsius Gidley 1923NG13, SM93
    |          |    |--E. florencae Gidley 1923S35b
    |          |    |--E. russelli Krause 1978SFY02
    |          |    |--E. shotgunensisBS07
    |          |    `--E. wightoniBS07
    |          `--+--Carpocristes oriensNG13
    |             `--Carpolestes Simpson 1928NG13, SM93
    |                  |--C. aquilaeS35a
    |                  |--C. dubiusBS07
    |                  |--C. nigridensBS07
    |                  `--C. simpsoniNG13
    `--PlesiadapidaeBS07
         |  i. s.: Chiromyoides potiorS62, T90
         |         Platychoerops Charlesworth 1854SM93
         |           |--*P. richardsoni Charlesworth 1854 [=Miolophus planiceps Owen 1865]RLS67
         |           `--P. daubrei Lemoine 1879RLS67
         |         AsioplesiadapisR06
         |--Pronothodectes Gidley 1923NG13, SM93
         |    |--P. gaoiBS07
         |    |--P. jepiBS07
         |    `--P. matthewi Gidley 1923S35b
         `--+--NannodectesNG13
            |    |--N. gidleyiNG13
            |    `--N. intermedius (Gazin 1971)SFY02
            `--Plesiadapis Gervais 1887NG13, SM93
                 |--P. ancepsT90
                 |--P. churchilliT90
                 |--P. cookeiBS07
                 |--P. gidleyiWR07
                 |--P. gingerichiT90
                 |--P. insignisBS07
                 |--P. orsmaelensisRLS67
                 |--P. praecursor Gingerich 1975SFY02
                 |--P. remensisBS07
                 |--P. rexBS07
                 |--P. russelliD07
                 |--P. simonsiT90
                 |--P. tricuspidens Gervais 1877RLS67
                 `--P. walbeckensisBS07

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[BS07] Bloch, J. I., M. T. Silcox, D. M. Boyer & E. J. Sargis. 2007. New Paleocene skeletons and the relationship of plesiadapiforms to crown-clade primates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 104 (4): 1159–1164.

[D07] Dixon, D. 2007. The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures. Hermes House: London.

[NG13] Ni, X., D. L. Gebo, M. Dagosto, J. Meng, P. Tafforeau, J. J. Flynn & K. C. Beard. 2013. The oldest known primate skeleton and early haplorhine evolution. Nature 498: 60–64.

[R06] Rose, K. D. 2006. The Beginning of the Age of Mammals. John Hopkins University Press: Baltimore.

[RLS67] Russell, D. E., P. Louis & D. E. Savage. 1967. Primates of the French early Eocene. University of California Publications in Geological Sciences 73: 1–46.

[SFY02] Scott, C. S., R. C. Fox & G. P. Youzwyshyn. 2002. New earliest Tiffanian (late Paleocene) mammals from Cochrane 2, southwestern Alberta, Canada. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 47: 691–704.

[S62] Simons, E. L. 1962. A new Eocene primate genus, Cantius, and a revision of some allied European lemuroids. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History): Geology 7 (1): 1–36.

[S35a] Simpson, G. G. 1935a. The Tiffany fauna, Upper Paleocene. I.—Multituberculata, Marsupialia, Insectivora, and ?Chiroptera. American Museum Novitates 795: 1–19.

[S35b] Simpson, G. G. 1935b. New Paleocene mammals from the Fort Union of Montana. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 83 (2981): 221–244.

[SM93] Stucky, R. K., & M. C. McKenna. 1993. Mammalia. In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Fossil Record 2 pp. 739–771. Chapman & Hall: London.

[T90] Thewissen, J. G. M. 1990. Evolution of Paleocene and Eocene Phenacodontidae (Mammalia, Condylarthra). Museum of Paleontology Papers on Paleontology 29: 1–107.

[WR07] Wible, J. R., G. W. Rougier, M. J. Novacek & R. J. Asher. 2007. Cretaceous eutherians and Laurasian origin for placental mammals near the K/T boundary. Nature 447: 1003–1006.