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Plesiopithecus
''Plesiopithecus '' is an extinct genus of early strepsirrhine primate from the late Eocene. Originally described from the right mandible (lower jaw), its confusing anatomy resulted in it being classified as an ape—its name translates "near ape". ''Plesiopithecus teras'', the only species so far identified, was discovered in 1992 by Elwyn L. Simons in Egypt at the base of the Jebel Qatrani Formation at Fayum in quarry L-41. Within two years, a more complete, crushed skull was found, demonstrating that it was a strepsirrhine primate. It is thought to be a close relative of lemuriforms (extant strepsirrhines), and a sister group to either lorisoids or all lemuriforms.
Although it lacks a toothcomb (a specialized dental structure found in most lemuriforms), its front dentition is enlarged and procumbent. Its cranial and dental traits are comparable to that of the aye-aye (''Daubentonia madagascariensis''), suggesting a possible close relationship. Such a close relationship between an African fossil primate and the aye-aye within the lemur radiation could suggest that lemur evolution involved two dispersal events from Africa to Madagascar. However, affinities are unclear because the similarities may be due to convergent evolution.
''Plesiopithecus'' was a medium-sized strepsirrhine primate, with large orbits, a high muzzle, and a skull exhibiting klinorhynchy (a marked angle between the palate and the basicranium, or the lower region of the braincase). Its large orbits indicate that it was nocturnal, and its teeth suggest that it bored holes in wood in search of soft-bodied insects, just like the aye-aye.
== Etymology ==
The genus name ''Plesiopithecus'' derives from the Greek root ''plesi-'' (πλησίος, plēsios), meaning "near", and the Greek word πίθηκος (''pithekos''), meaning "trickster", which has historically been used to mean "ape". The species name derives from the Greek word τερασ (''teras''), meaning "wonderful or amazing animal".
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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