Biology:Karanisia
Karanisia is an extinct genus of strepsirrhine primate from Middle Eocene fossil deposits in Egypt.
Classification
Two species are known, K. clarki[1][2] and K. arenula.[3] Originally considered a crown lorisid, more comprehensive phylogenetic analyses suggest it is a more basal to crown lorisiformes.[4][5]
K. clarki was described in 2003 from isolated teeth and jaw fragments found in Late Middle Eocene (c. 40 million years ago) sediments of the Birket Qarun Formation in the Egyptian Faiyum.[6][7] The specimens indicate the presence of a toothcomb, making it the earliest fossil primate to indisputably bear this trait, which is unique to all living strepsirrhines (lemurs, lorises, and galagos).[7]
In 2010 a second species, K. arenula, was described in the journal Nature from Late Middle Eocene rocks in Libya.[3]
Palaeobiology
Palaeoecology
Dental topographic analysis suggests that K. clarki was insectivorous, although it indicates uncertainty as to whether or not it also consumed plant exudates such as sap or gum.[8]
References
- ↑ "Karanisia". The Paleobiology Database. https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=90337.
- ↑ "Karanisia clarki". ZipCodeZoo.com. http://zipcodezoo.com/Animals/K/Karanisia_clarki/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jaeger, J. J.; Beard, Kenneth Christopher; Chaimanee, Y.; Salem, M.; Benammi, M.; Hlal, O.; Coster, P.; Bilal, A. A. et al. (2010). "Late middle Eocene epoch of Libya yields earliest known radiation of African anthropoids". Nature 467 (7319): 1095–1098. doi:10.1038/nature09425. PMID 20981098. Bibcode: 2010Natur.467.1095J. http://www.carnegiemnh.org/assets/science/vp/Late%20middle%20Eocene%20epoch%20of%20Libya%20yields%20earliest%20known%20radiation%20of%20African%20anthropoids.pdf.
- ↑ Seiffert, E. R. (2012). "Early primate evolution in Afro-Arabia". Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews 21 (6): 239–253. doi:10.1002/evan.21335. PMID 23280921.
- ↑ 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 (2018). "Fossil lemurs from Egypt and Kenya suggest an African origin for Madagascar's aye-aye". Nature Communications. 9: Article number 3193. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-05648-w.
- ↑ Seiffert, Erik R.; Simons, E. L.; Attia, Y. (2003). "Fossil evidence for an ancient divergence of lorises and galagos". Nature 422 (6930): 421–424. doi:10.1038/nature01489. PMID 12660781. Bibcode: 2003Natur.422..421S. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:a22ed2fc-34ac-400f-ad0e-75c196b5fbb0.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Gould, Lisa, ed (2006). Lemurs: Ecology and Adaptation (Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects) (1 ed.). Springer. pp. 7–8. ISBN 978-0-387-34585-7.
- ↑ Selig, Keegan R.; López-Torres, Sergi; Burrows, Anne M.; Silcox, Mary T. (8 May 2024). "Dental Topographic Analysis of Living and Fossil Lorisoids: Investigations into Markers of Exudate Feeding in Lorises and Galagos" (in en). International Journal of Primatology 45 (4): 951–971. doi:10.1007/s10764-024-00433-7. ISSN 0164-0291. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10764-024-00433-7. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
Template:Strepsirrhini Wikidata ☰ Q3130075 entry
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