Bloch Jonathan I, Silcox Mary T
Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, PO Box 117800, FL 32611-7800, USA.
J Hum Evol. 2006 Jan;50(1):1-35. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2005.06.009. Epub 2005 Oct 19.
Central to issues surrounding the origin of euprimates, affinities of Paleocene Carpolestidae have been controversial. Carpolestids have been classified as plesiadapoid primates, tarsiiform euprimates, dermopterans, or the sister taxon of euprimates to the exclusion of other plesiadapiforms, based exclusively on dental or postcranial data. Newly discovered crania of Carpolestes simpsoni from the latest Paleocene of the Clarks Fork Basin, Wyoming, are the first described for the family Carpolestidae. The two best preserved skulls were studied using ultra high-resolution X-ray computed tomography. Comparison of these specimens to those of other stem primates (Plesiadapiformes) demonstrates that the diversity of cranial morphology in this group is greater than previously thought. Carpolestes differs from euprimates and is similar to other plesiadapiforms (Ignacius and Plesiadapis) in lacking a postorbital bar and having a relatively long rostrum. Carpolestes is similar to fossil euprimates and Plesiadapis in having a bullar morphology consistent with a petrosal origin, and differs from Ignacius, in which the bulla is composed of the entotympanic. Carpolestes differs from primitive euprimates and all other known plesiadapiforms in possessing a two-chambered auditory bulla, similar to that of modern Tarsius. However, Carpolestes had an internal carotid artery (ICA) that took a transpromontorial route from a posteromedially positioned posterior carotid foramen (pcf), unlike Tarsius, in which this artery takes a perbullar route from an anterolaterally positioned pcf. Carpolestes has clear grooves on the promontorium for both the promontorial and stapedial arteries, indicating that it had an unreduced internal carotid circulation, similar to that of early euprimates. Carpolestes differs from primitive euprimates and some specimens of Ignacius in not having bony tubes surrounding the branches of the ICA. Cladistic analysis of cranial data fails to support a close relationship of Carpolestidae to either tarsiiform euprimates or extant Dermoptera, but suggests a close relationship between Carpolestidae, Plesiadapidae, and Euprimates.
围绕真灵长类动物起源的问题，古新世的果猴科的亲缘关系一直存在争议。仅根据牙齿或颅后数据，果猴类动物被归类为近猴型灵长类、跗猴型真灵长类、皮翼目动物，或者是真灵长类的姐妹分类群，而排除其他近猴型动物。新发现的来自怀俄明州克拉克福克盆地最新古新世的辛普森果猴颅骨，是首次对果猴科进行描述。使用超高分辨率X射线计算机断层扫描技术对保存最完好的两个头骨进行了研究。将这些标本与其他灵长类祖先（近猴型动物）的标本进行比较表明，该类群颅骨形态的多样性比之前认为的更大。果猴与真灵长类不同，在缺少眶后棒且吻部相对较长方面与其他近猴型动物（伊格那西猴和近猴）相似。果猴在具有与岩部起源一致的鼓泡形态方面与化石真灵长类和近猴相似，而与伊格那西猴不同，伊格那西猴的鼓泡由中耳鼓室组成。果猴与原始真灵长类和所有其他已知的近猴型动物不同，它拥有一个双腔听觉鼓泡，类似于现代的眼镜猴。然而，果猴的颈内动脉（ICA）从位于后内侧的后颈动脉孔（pcf）走穿鼓岬路线，这与眼镜猴不同，眼镜猴的这条动脉从位于前外侧的pcf走穿鼓泡路线。果猴的鼓岬上有明显的鼓岬动脉和镫骨动脉沟，表明它具有未退化的颈内循环，类似于早期真灵长类。果猴与原始真灵长类和一些伊格那西猴标本不同，它没有围绕颈内动脉分支的骨管。对颅骨数据的分支系统分析未能支持果猴科与跗猴型真灵长类或现存皮翼目动物有密切关系，但表明果猴科、近猴科和真灵长类之间有密切关系。
