Plesiadapidae Explained

Plesiadapidae is a family of plesiadapiform mammals related to primates known from the Paleocene and Eocene of North America, Europe, and Asia.^{[1] [2]} Plesiadapids were abundant in the late Paleocene, and their fossils are often used to establish the ages of fossil faunas.^[3]

Classification

McKenna and Bell^[1] recognized two subfamilies (Plesiadapinae and Saxonellinae) and one unassigned genus (Pandemonium) within Plesiadapidae. More recently Saxonella (the only saxonelline) and Pandemonium have been excluded from the family,^[4] leaving only a redundant Plesiadapinae. Within the family, Pronothodectes is the likely ancestor of all other genera, while Plesiadapis may be directly ancestral to both Chiromyoides and Platychoerops.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Book: McKenna, M. C. . S. K. Bell . amp . 1997 . Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level . Columbia University Press . 0-231-11012-X.
2. Thewissen, J.G.M. . Hans Thewissen . Williams, E.M. . Hussain, S.T. . amp. 2001 . Eocene mammal faunas from northern Indo-Pakistan . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 21 . 2 . 347–366 . 10.1671/0272-4634(2001)021[0347:EMFFNI]2.0.CO;2.
3. Gingerich, P.D. . 1976 . Cranial anatomy and evolution of early Tertiary Plesiadapidae (Mammalia, Primates) . University of Michigan Papers on Paleontology . 15 . 1–141 . 2027.42/48615.
4. Silcox, M.T. . Krause, D.W. . Maas, M.C. . Fox, R.C. . amp . 2001 . New specimens of Elphidotarsius russelli (Mammalia, ?Primates, Carpolestidae) and a revision of plesiadapoid relationships . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 21 . 1 . 132–152 . 10.1671/0272-4634(2001)021[0132:NSOERM]2.0.CO;2.