@article{edb356e0f01e4de1af2c22be2b6f5374,
title = "New adapiform primate fossils from the late Eocene of Egypt",
abstract = "Caenopithecine adapiform primates are currently represented by two genera from the late Eocene of Egypt (Afradapis and Aframonius) and one from the middle Eocene of Switzerland (Caenopithecus). All are somewhat anthropoid-like in several aspects of their dental and gnathic morphology, and are inferred to have been highly folivorous. Here we describe a new caenopithecine genus and species, Masradapis tahai, from the ~37 million-year-old Locality BQ-2 in Egypt, that is represented by mandibular and maxillary fragments and isolated teeth. Masradapis is approximately the same size as Aframonius but differs in having a more dramatic distal increase in molar size, more complex upper molar shearing crests, and an exceptionally deep mandibular corpus. We also describe additional mandibles and part of the orbit and rostrum of Aframonius which suggest that it was probably diurnal. Phylogenetic analyses place Masradapis either as the sister taxon of Aframonius (parsimony), or as the sister taxon of Afradapis and Caenopithecus (Bayesian methods). Bayesian tip-dating analysis, when combined with Bayesian biogeographic analysis, suggests that a common ancestor of known caenopithecines dispersed to Afro-Arabia from Europe between 49.4 and 47.4 Ma, and that a trans-Tethyan back-dispersal explains Caenopithecus{\textquoteright} later presence in Europe. For Masradapis: https://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:41BC8459-7CCE-487F-BC59-1C34257D5C4E For Masradapis tahai: https://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C0A620AD-6FCA-4649-A980-FCA237AFE39D.",
keywords = "Africa, Eocene, Oligocene, Strepsirrhini, phylogeny, primates",
author = "Seiffert, {Erik R.} and Boyer, {Doug M.} and Fleagle, {John G.} and Gunnell, {Gregg F.} and Heesy, {Christopher P.} and Perry, {Jonathan M.G.} and Sallam, {Hesham M.}",
note = "Funding Information: Funding for this research was provided by The U.S. National Science Foundation (BCS-0416164 and BCS-0819186 to Elwyn Simons and Erik Seiffert; BCS-1231288 to Erik Seiffert, Doug Boyer, Gregg Gunnell, and John Fleagle; BCS-1304045 to Doug Boyer and Elizabeth St. Clair; BCS-1317525 to Doug Boyer and Erik Seiffert; BCS-1552848 to Doug Boyer; BCS-1440742 to Gregg Gunnell and Doug Boyer); grants from the Leakey Foundation to Erik Seiffert, and to Doug Boyer and Elizabeth St. Clair; and donations from Ann and Gordon Getty. Funding Information: Funding for this research was provided by The U.S. National Science Foundation (BCS-0416164 and BCS-0819186 to Elwyn Simons and Erik Seiffert; BCS-1231288 to Erik Seiffert, Doug Boyer, Gregg Gunnell, and John Fleagle; BCS-1304045 to Doug Boyer and Elizabeth St. Clair; BCS-1317525 to Doug Boyer and Erik Seiffert; BCS-1552848 to Doug Boyer; BCS-1440742 to Gregg Gunnell and Doug Boyer); grants from the Leakey Foundation to Erik Seiffert, and to Doug Boyer and Elizabeth St. Clair; and donations from Ann and Gordon Getty. We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this volume in honour of Percy Butler, and acknowledge the profound impact that his research has had on our understanding of mammalian evolution and particularly the evolution of the mammalian dentition. The palaeontological work that led to the recovery of the specimens described here was led by the late Elwyn L. Simons and managed by Prithijit Chatrath, both of Duke University, and undertaken in collaboration with the Egyptian Geological Museum and the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, and we gratefully acknowledge them and our Egyptian colleagues (particularly Medhat Adbel-Ghany, Afifi Hassen, and the late Yousry Attia, all of the CGM, and Gebely Abuelkheir of the EEAA) for the roles they played in facilitating this research. Judit Marig{\'o} (Institut Catal{\`a} de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont) provided comments and suggestions that improved the manuscript. Steven Heritage assisted with micro-CT scanning at Stony Brook University. We also thank the many field crews who have helped to excavate the BQ-2 locality since 2001, and particularly Mark Mathison (Iowa State University). This is Duke Lemur Center publication #1344. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.",
year = "2018",
month = feb,
day = "17",
doi = "10.1080/08912963.2017.1306522",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "30",
pages = "204--226",
journal = "Historical Biology",
issn = "0891-2963",
publisher = "Taylor and Francis Ltd.",
number = "1-2",
}