Bloch Jonathan I, Boyer Doug M
Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, 1109 Geddes Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079, USA.
Science. 2002 Nov 22;298(5598):1606-10. doi: 10.1126/science.1078249.
The evolutionary history that led to Eocene-and-later primates of modern aspect (Euprimates) has been uncertain. We describe a skeleton of Paleocene plesiadapiform Carpolestes simpsoni that includes most of the skull and many postcranial bones. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that Carpolestidae are closely related to Euprimates. C. simpsoni had long fingers and an opposable hallux with a nail. It lacked orbital convergence and an ankle specialized for leaping. We infer that the ancestor of Euprimates was primitively an arboreal grasper adapted for terminal branch feeding rather than a specialized leaper or visually directed predator.
导致始新世及之后具有现代特征的灵长类动物（真灵长类）出现的进化史一直不明确。我们描述了一种古新世近猴类辛氏风猴的骨骼，它包括大部分头骨和许多颅后骨骼。系统发育分析表明，风猴科与真灵长类密切相关。辛氏风猴有着长长的手指和可对握的大脚趾且带有指甲。它没有眼眶趋合现象，也没有专门用于跳跃的脚踝。我们推断，真灵长类的祖先最初是一种适应于在末梢树枝取食的树栖抓握动物，而非专门的跳跃者或视觉导向的捕食者。
