''Pronycticebus'' was a genus of

adapiformes Adapiformes is a group of early primates. Adapiforms radiated throughout much of the northern continental mass (now Europe, Asia and North America), reaching as far south as northern Africa and tropical Asia. They existed from the Eocene to the M ...

primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...

s that lived during the middle to middle late

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...

. It is represented by two species, ''Pronycticebus gaudryi'' and ''Pronycticebus neglectus'', of which an almost complete specimen was found in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, and the

Quercy Phosphorites Formation The Quercy Phosphorites Formation ( French: ''Phosphorites du Quercy'') is a geologic formation and Lagerstätte in Occitanie, southern France. It preserves fossils dating back to the Paleogene period ( latest Bartonian to Late Oligocene),

of France.

Morphology

''Pronycticebus neglectus'' possessed what appears to be a

grooming claw A grooming claw (or toilet claw) is the specialized claw or nail on the foot of certain primates, used for personal grooming. All prosimians have a grooming claw, but the digit that is specialized in this manner varies. Tarsiers have a grooming ...

on the second digit of each foot like modern

strepsirhine Strepsirrhini or Strepsirhini (; ) is a suborder of primates that includes the lemuriform primates, which consist of the lemurs of Madagascar, galagos ("bushbabies") and pottos from Africa, and the lorises from India and southeast Asia. Collec ...

s (Fleagle, 1999) and had a dental formula of 2:1:4:3. ''Pronycticebus neglectus'' has a petrosal bulla and a

postorbital bar The postorbital bar (or postorbital bone) is a bony arched structure that connects the frontal bone of the skull to the zygomatic arch, which runs laterally around the eye socket. It is a trait that only occurs in mammalian taxa, such as most streps ...

. ''Pronycticebus neglectus'' may have been a

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

or a

crepuscular In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal, vespertine, or both. This is distinguished from diurnal and nocturnal behavior, where an animal is active during the hours of daylig ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

, which is suggested by a relatively large orbital size. ''Pronycticebus neglectus'' has a relatively large

baculum The baculum (also penis bone, penile bone, or ''os penis'', ''os genitale'' or ''os priapi'') is a bone found in the penis of many placental mammals. It is absent from the human penis, but present in the penises of some primates, such as the ...

for a species of its size, which had an average

body mass Human body weight is a person's Mass versus weight, mass or weight. Strictly speaking, body weight is the measurement of weight without items located on the person. Practically though, body weight may be measured with clothes on, but without shoe ...

of 825 grams.

Range

''Pronycticebus neglectus'' lived in Europe.

Locomotion

Based upon limb morphology, ''Pronycticebus neglectus'' moved by

quadrupedalism Quadrupedalism is a form of locomotion where four limbs are used to bear weight and move around. An animal or machine that usually maintains a four-legged posture and moves using all four limbs is said to be a quadruped (from Latin ''quattuor' ...

leaping Jumping or leaping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jumping can be distinguished from running, galloping and o ...

, and climbing. This species is less of a leaper than the notharctines and used slow quadrupedalism less than the adapines.

References

*Conroy, G.C. 1990. Primate Evolution. W.W. Norton and Co.: New York. *Martin, R.D. 1990. Primate Origins and Evolution: A Phylogenetic Reconstruction. Princeton University Press: Princeton, New Jersey. * *http://www.aim.unizh.ch/StaffofInstitute/AffResearchers/uthal/Publications.html
Mikko's Phylogeny Archive

Literature cited

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q7249981 Prehistoric strepsirrhines Eocene primates Prehistoric primate genera Paleogene France Fossils of France Quercy Phosphorites Formation Paleogene Germany Fossils of Germany Fossil taxa described in 1904