Purgatoriidae is a basal
plesiadapiform
Plesiadapiformes (" Adapid-like" or "near Adapiformes") is a group of Primates, a sister of the Dermoptera. While none of the groups normally directly assigned to this group survived, the group appears actually not to be literally extinct (in ...
family that includes, ''
Purgatorius
''Purgatorius'' is a genus of seven extinct eutherian species typically believed to be the earliest example of a primate or a proto-primate, a primatomorph precursor to the Plesiadapiformes, dating to as old as 66 million years ago. The first rem ...
'' and ''
Ursolestes''. Purgatoriids are thought to represent the earliest members of the
Plesiadapiformes
Plesiadapiformes (" Adapid-like" or "near Adapiformes") is a group of Primates, a sister of the Dermoptera. While none of the groups normally directly assigned to this group survived, the group appears actually not to be literally extinct (in t ...
and to be their ancestors – as well as primates.
References
{{paleo-mammal-stub
Paleocene mammals
Purgatoriidae
Prehistoric mammal families