New species of primate from 35 mln years ago found in Spain

A new species of primate from 35 million years ago has been discovered by researchers with the Catalan Institute of Palaeontology Michel Crusafont (Icp) in Sossis, in the area of Pallars Jussa' in the Llerida province.

New species of primate from 35 mln years ago found in Spain [Credit: ANSA]

The Icp said in a statement that the finding has been published in the Journal of Human Evolution by palaeontologists Judit Mariago' and Reef Minwer-Barakat, directed by Salvador Maya'-Sola' who contributed to form one of Europe's most important collections of fossil primates. The fossil of a small prosimian, similar to today's lemur, is the first of the Anchomomys which belonged to the extinct group of Adapiform primates.

The new species has been named 'Nievesia Sossiensis' in honour of late Icp palaeontologist Nieves Loper Martinez known for her research on mammals from the Cretaceous and Cenozoic period in the Pyrenees. Among its characteristics are very peculiar primitive teeth with enlarged and flat premolars, larger inferior molars than the rest of the species and a small cusp on superior molars weighing between 100 and 150 grams.

The published finding greatly contributes to the phylogenetic study of other extinct primates in the northern hemisphere, North Africa, and tropical Asia in the Eocene era until the Miocene epoch on the Spanish peninsula.

Source: ANSA [April 12, 2013]
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