Nosmips aenigmaticus

Nosmips aenigmaticus is a rare fossil primate known only from 12 teeth. Most teeth were found at a site in the Fayum Depression about 40 miles (64 km) outside Cairo, Egypt.[2]

Nosmips aenigmaticus
Temporal range: Eocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: incertae sedis
Genus: †Nosmips
Species:
†N. aenigmaticus
Binomial name
†Nosmips aenigmaticus
Seiffert, 2010[1]

Nosmips aenigmaticus probably lived 37 million years ago in Africa and has not been successfully classified within any group of primates.[3] In particular, it is distinct from the three main branches of primate found in Africa at the time - anthropoids, adapiforms and strepsirrhines. It is weakly associated with the Eosimiidae. Its premolars are specialised and the tooth enamel displays extensive signs of pitting, which would appear to be consistent with a diet of either seeds or fruits with hard pits.[4]

Name

Nosmips is an anagram of Simpson. The name was chosen to honour paleontologist and anagram enthusiast George Gaylord Simpson.

References
  1. E. R. Seiffert, E. L. Simons, D. M. Boyer, J. M. G. Perry, T. M. Ryan and H. M. Sallam. 2010. A fossil primate of uncertain affinities from the earliest late Eocene of Egypt. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107(21):9712-9717
  2. Odd mosaic of dental features reveals undocumented primate
  3. Yahia, M. 2010. A new evolutionary mystery. Nature.
  4. Seiffert, Erik R.; Boyer, Doug M.; Fleagle, John G.; Gunnell, Gregg F.; Heesy, Christopher P.; Perry, Jonathan M. G.; Sallam, Hesham M. (2017-04-10). "New adapiform primate fossils from the late Eocene of Egypt". Historical Biology. 0 (1–2): 204–226. doi:10.1080/08912963.2017.1306522. ISSN 0891-2963.
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