Nosmips
| Nosmips Temporal range:
Late Eocene[1] | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Family: | incertae sedis |
| Genus: | †Nosmips Seiffert, 2010 |
| Species: | †N. aenigmaticus
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Nosmips aenigmaticus Seiffert, 2010[2]
| |
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 (64 km) outside Cairo, Egypt.[3]
Nosmips aenigmaticus probably lived 37 million years ago in Africa and has not been successfully classified within any group of primates.adapiforms and lemuriforms. 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.[5]
Name
Nosmips is an anagram of Simpson. The name was chosen to honour paleontologist and anagram enthusiast George Gaylord Simpson.
References
- ^ "PBDB". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
- ^ E. R. Seiffert, E. L. Simons, D. M. Boyer, J. M. G. Perry, T. M. Ryan and H. M. Sallam. 2010. A fossil primate of uncertain affinities from the earliest late Eocene of Egypt. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107(21):9712-9717
- ^ Odd mosaic of dental features reveals undocumented primate
- ^ Yahia, M. 2010. A new evolutionary mystery. Nature.
- S2CID 89631627.