Nosmips aenigmaticus
Nosmips | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Primates |
Suborder: | incertae sedis |
Family: | incertae sedis |
Genus: | †Nosmips |
Species: | †N. aenigmaticus |
Binomial name | |
†Nosmips aenigmaticus Seiffert, 2010 | |
Nosmips aenigmaticus is a rare fossil primate known only from 12 teeth. Most teeth were found at a site in the Fayum Depression about 40 miles outside Cairo, Egypt.[1]
Nosmips aenigmaticus probably lived 37 million years ago in Africa and has not been successfully classified within any group of primates.[2] In particular, it is distinct from the three main branches of primate found in Africa at the time - anthropoids, adapiforms and strepsirrhines. It is weakly associated with the Eosimiidae. Its premolars are specialised and the tooth enamel displays extensive signs of pitting, which would appear to be consistent with a diet of either seeds or fruits with hard pits.[3]
Name
Nosmips is an anagram of Simpson. The name was chosen to honour paleontologust and anagram enthusiast George Gaylord Simpson.
References
- ↑ Odd mosaic of dental features reveals undocumented primate
- ↑ Yahia, M. 2010. A new evolutionary mystery. Nature.
- ↑ Seiffert, Erik R.; Boyer, Doug M.; Fleagle, John G.; Gunnell, Gregg F.; Heesy, Christopher P.; Perry, Jonathan M. G.; Sallam, Hesham M. (2017-04-10). "New adapiform primate fossils from the late Eocene of Egypt". Historical Biology. 0 (0): 1–23. doi:10.1080/08912963.2017.1306522. ISSN 0891-2963.