Plesiadapiformes

Plesiadapiformes Temporal range: 66–46.2  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Middle Eocene[1]
Plesiadapis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Clade:	Pan-Primates
Order:	Plesiadapiformes Simons and Tattersall, 1972
Groups included
Micromomyidae Paromomyidae Picromomyidae Palaechthonidae Picrodontidae Microsyopidae Chronolestidae Plesiadapidae Carpolestidae Purgatoriidae (?)[2] Saxonellidae[3] Toliapinidae[3]

Plesiadapiformes ("

In the following simplified cladogram, the crown primates are classified as highly derived Plesiadapiformes, possibly as sister of the Plesiadapoidea.^[7] The crown primates are cladistically granted here into the Plesiadapiformes, and "Plesiadapiformes" become a junior synonym of the primates. With this tree, the Plesiadapiformes are not literally extinct (in the sense of having no surviving descendants). The crown primates are also called "Euprimates" in this context.

Alternatively, in 2018, the Plesiadapiformes were proposed to be more related to Dermoptera, or roughly corresponding to Primatomorpha, with both Dermoptera and the primates emerging within this group.^[13][14][15] Also in a 2020 paper, the primates and Dermoptera were jointly considered sister to the plesiadapiform Purgatoriidae, resulting in the following phylogenetic tree.^[16]

Traditionally, they were regarded as a separate extinct order of Primatomorpha, but it now appears that groups such as the extant primates and/or the Dermoptera have emerged in the group.^{[citation needed]}

Similarly, in 2021 the Purgatoriidae were classified as sister to Dermoptera, while the rest of the Plesiadapiformes appear to be sister to the remaining primates:^[8]

One possible classification table of plesiadapiform families is listed below.

• Plesiadapiformes
  • Family Micromomyidae
  • Superfamily Paromomyoidea
    • Family Paromomyidae
    • Family Picromomyidae
    • Family Palaechthonidae
    • Family Microsyopidae
  • Superfamily Plesiadapoidea^[17]
    • Family Carpolestidae
    • Family Chronolestidae
    • Family Picrodontidae
    • Family Plesiadapidae
    • Family Saxonellidae

References