Anaptomorphinae Explained

Anaptomorphinae is a pre-historic group of primates known from Eocene fossils in North America and Europe and later periods of Paleocene Asia, and are a sub-family of omomyids. The anaptomorphines is a paraphyletic group consisting of the two tribes Trogolemurini and Anaptomorphini.Anaptomorphine radiation in Wyoming, one of the most detailed records of changes within populations and between species in the fossil record, has provided remarkable evidence of transitional fossils.

Description

Teilhardina is the most primitive of the anaptomorphines with respect a number of dental features (e.g. four premolars and relatively unreduced canine). Most scientists recognize at least fourteen genera of anaptomorphine. The probable lineages of Tetonius, Absarokius and Anemorhysis evolved from Teilhardinia or a closely related form from North America.

Tetonius and Shoshonius have been classified as belonging to the Tarsiiformes,^[1] and are therefore not closely related to human ancestors. The Anaptomorphine population was apparently high during the Early Tertiary. Tetonius from the Early Eocene was first found in the late nineteenth century and is considered important due to the significance of the find in forming the phylogeny of the primates. The last known animal belonging to the group was Trogolemur.

Analyses of over a hundred specimens of omomyid primates recovered in the Wasatch formation in Wyoming, suggest that anaptomorphines never developed the highly specialised molars seen in modern prosimians. Similarly, incisor enlargement was most likely an adaptation for grooming and food manipulation rather than a purely frugivorous or insectivorous diet.

Classification

• Subfamily^[2] †Anaptomorphinae Cope, 1883
  • †Trogolemurini
    • †Sphacorhysis Gunnell, 1995
    • †Trogolemur Matthew, 1909
    • †Walshina López-Torres, Silcox, and Holroyd, 2018
  • †Anaptomorphini Cope, 1883
    • †Absarokius Matthew, 1915
    • †Anemorhysis Gazin, 1958
    • †Anaptomorphus Cope, 1872
    • †Arapahovius Savage & Waters, 1978
    • †Aycrossia Bown, 1979
    • †Bownomomys Morse et al, 2018
    • †Chlororhysis Gazin, 1958
    • †Gazinius Bown, 1979
    • †Mckennamorphus Szalay, 1976
    • †Pseudotetonius Bown, 1974
    • †Strigorhysis Bown, 1979
    • †Tatmanius Bown & Rose, 1991
    • †Teilhardina Simpson, 1940
    • †Tetonius Matthew, 1915

References

• Book: Delson . Eric . Tattersall . Ian . Van Couvering . John A. . Encyclopedia of human evolution and prehistory . Taylor & Francis . 1999 . 0-8153-1696-8 .
• Book: Fleagle, John G. . Primate Adaptation and Evolution . 373–75 . Academic Press . 1999 . 9780122603419 .
• Book: Krishtalka, Leonard . Anagenetic angst: Species Boundaries in Eocene Primates . Kimbel . William H. . Martin . Lawrence . Species, species concepts, and primate evolution . Advances in primatology . Springer . 1993 . https://books.google.com/books?id=iglNtTAYgDYC&q=Anaptomorphine&pg=PA331 . 0-306-44297-3 .
• Book: Rasmussen, D. Tab . Fossil record of the Primates from the Paleocene to the Oligocene . Winfried . Henke . Tattersall . Ian . Hardt . Thorolf . Handbook of paleoanthropology, Volume 1 . Springer . 2007 . https://books.google.com/books?id=vhoRdbTrjc8C&q=anaptomorphines&pg=PA903 . 978-3540324744 .
• Book: Rasmussen . D. Tab . Conroy . Glenn C. . Friscia . Anthony R. . Townsend . K. Elisabeth . Kinkel . Mary D. . Mammals of the Middle Eocene Uinta Formation . Gillette . David D. . Vertebrate paleontology in Utah . 1 . 99 . Utah Geological Survey . 1999 . https://books.google.com/books?id=qeRM16ndBx4C&q=anaptomorphines&pg=PA402 . 1-55791-634-9 .
• Book: Rose, Kenneth David . The beginning of the age of mammals . JHU Press . 2006 . 0-8018-8472-1 .
• Tornow . M. A. . Systematic Analysis of the Eocene Primate Family Omomyidae Using Gnathic and Postcranial Data . Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History . 2008 . 49 . 43–129 . 10.3374/0079-032X(2008)49[43:SAOTEP]2.0.CO;2 . 86262940 .
• Williams . B A . Covert . H H . New early eocene anaptomorphine primate (Omomyidae) from the Washakie Basin, Wyoming, with comments on the phylogeny and paleobiology of anaptomorphines . American Journal of Physical Anthropology . March 1994 . 93 . 3 . 323–40 . 0002-9483 . 8042695 . 10.1002/ajpa.1330930305.

Notes and References

1. Beard et al; 1991
2. Web site: †Omomyidae: †Anaptomorphinae . Mikko's Phylogeny Archive . 2004–2010 . 4 November 2012.