Simons E L
Department of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Duke University, Durham, NC 27705.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992 Nov 15;89(22):10743-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.22.10743.
Between 1987 and 1991 recent field seasons in the Fayum Depression of Egypt have yielded five species and genera of primates that were earlier unknown. Three of these species and genera are described below. All these genera and species are known only from Fayum site L-41, which has been dated as of late Eocene age. In the Fayum, these 5 species from L-41 are added to 3 kinds of prosimians (1 species formally described) and 11 earlier named species of Anthropoidea. When certain undescribed species are added, the total of known Fayum primate species comes to 21, belonging to at least 10 genera, genera that, in turn, could belong to as many as seven families. This arguably represents more taxonomic diversity of primates, especially higher primates, than has been demonstrated before in one so spatially and temporally limited area. These facts argue that an important, perhaps primary, radiation of anthropoideans took place in the African Eocene.
在1987年至1991年期间，埃及法尤姆洼地最近的野外考察季发现了5种此前未知的灵长类物种和属。以下是其中3种物种和属的描述。所有这些属和物种仅在法尤姆L - 41地点被发现，该地点的年代测定为始新世晚期。在法尤姆，来自L - 41的这5个物种被添加到3种类人猿（1种已正式描述）和11种先前已命名的类人猿物种中。当加入某些未描述的物种时，已知的法尤姆灵长类物种总数达到21种，分属于至少10个属，而这些属又可能分属于多达7个科。可以说，这代表了灵长类动物，尤其是高等灵长类动物，在分类学上比之前在一个时空范围如此有限的区域所展示的更多样化。这些事实表明，类人猿在非洲始新世发生了一次重要的，也许是主要的辐射演化。
