Fossil lemurs from Egypt and Kenya suggest an African origin for Madagascar’s aye-aye

Gregg F. Gunnell; Doug M. Boyer; Anthony R. Friscia; Steven Heritage; Fredrick Kyalo Manthi; Ellen R. Miller; Hesham M. Sallam; Nancy B. Simmons; Nancy J. Stevens; Erik R. Seiffert

doi:10.1038/s41467-018-05648-w

Nature Communications (Aug 2018)

Fossil lemurs from Egypt and Kenya suggest an African origin for Madagascar’s aye-aye

Gregg F. Gunnell,
Doug M. Boyer,
Anthony R. Friscia,
Steven Heritage,
Fredrick Kyalo Manthi,
Ellen R. Miller,
Hesham M. Sallam,
Nancy B. Simmons,
Nancy J. Stevens,
Erik R. Seiffert

Affiliations

Gregg F. Gunnell: Division of Fossil Primates, Duke Lemur Center
Doug M. Boyer: Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University
Anthony R. Friscia: Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of California – Los Angeles
Steven Heritage: Division of Fossil Primates, Duke Lemur Center
Fredrick Kyalo Manthi: Department of Earth Sciences, National Museums of Kenya
Ellen R. Miller: Department of Anthropology, Wake Forest University
Hesham M. Sallam: Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center (MUVP), Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University
Nancy B. Simmons: Division of Vertebrate Zoology, Department of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History
Nancy J. Stevens: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University
Erik R. Seiffert: Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05648-w
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 1 – 12

Abstract

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The fossil taxon Propotto was originally identified as a primate, but is currently widely interpreted as a bat. Here, the authors identify Propotto as a stem chiromyiform lemur and, based on phylogenetic analysis, suggest two independent lemur colonizations of Madagascar.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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