A Fossil Lemur from the Oligocene of Pakistan

2001/10/19 by Laurent Marivaux, Jean‐Loup Welcomme, Pierre‐Olivier Antoine +6 · 4 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Psychology · Environmental Science · #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Primate Behavior and Ecology #Amphibian and Reptile Biology #Lemur #Fossil Record #Diversification (marketing strategy) #Indian subcontinent #Lemur catta #Geography #Affinities #Biology #Evolutionary biology #Ecology #Paleontology #Primate #History #Ethnology

paper · doi:10.1126/science.1065257

openalex publication_date 2001/10/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23

Abstract

In the absence of a comprehensive fossil record, the origin and early evolution of Malagasy lemurs have been subject to much uncertainty. We report here the discovery of a strepsirrhine fossil with strong cheirogaleid lemur affinities, Bugtilemur mathesoni gen. et sp. nov., from early Oligocene deposits of the Bugti Hills (Balochistan, Pakistan). Bugtilemur represents the earliest record of Lemuriformes, which hence appear to have already diversified outside of Madagascar at least 30 million years ago. This fossil clearly enhances the critical role of the Indian subcontinent in the early diversification of lemurs and constrains paleobiogeographic models of strepsirrhine lemur evolution.

Citations

• Evolutionary History of Lorisiform Primates
• Implications of postcranial evidence for the origin of euprimates
• Phylogenetic analysis of anthropoid relationships

Cited by

• Primate phylogenetic relationships and divergence dates inferred from complete mitochondrial genomes
• Additional remains of Wadilemur elegans , a primitive stem galagid from the late Eocene of Egypt
• Fossil evidence for an ancient divergence of lorises and galagos
• Lemur [wikipedia]