''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 ...

primate Primates is an order (biology), order of mammals, which is further divided into the Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and Lorisidae, lorisids; and the Haplorhini, haplorhines, which include Tarsiiformes, tarsiers a ...

s that lived during the middle to middle late

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

. 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 lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and the

Quercy Phosphorites Formation The Quercy Phosphorites Formation (French language, French: ''Phosphorites du Quercy''; ) is a Formation (geology), geologic formation and lagerstätte in Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie, southern France. It preserves fossils dated to ...

of France.

Morphology

''Pronycticebus neglectus'' possessed what appears to be a grooming claw on the second digit of each foot like modern strepsirhines (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 strep ...

. ''Pronycticebus neglectus'' may have been a

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

or a

crepuscular In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal (active during dawn), vespertine (biology), vespertine/vespertinal (active during dusk), or both. This is distinguished from diurnalit ...

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

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

baculum The baculum (: bacula), also known as the penis bone, penile bone, ''os penis'', ''os genitale'', or ''os priapi'', is a bone in the penis of many placental mammals. It is not present in humans, but is present in the penises of some primates, ...

for a species of its size, which had an average

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

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 in which animals have four legs that are used to bear weight and move around. An animal or machine that usually maintains a four-legged posture and moves using all four legs is said to be a quadruped (fr ...

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 Cercamoniinae Eocene primates Prehistoric primate genera Eocene France Fossils of France Quercy Phosphorites Formation Eocene Germany Fossils of Germany Fossil taxa described in 1904