Athena Review Image Archive ™
Leptadapis magnus skull
Skull of Leptadapis magnus (after Piveteau 1957)
Leptadapis magnus was an adapid primate, dating from the late Eocene to Early Oligocene period and found in France. The species, related to Adapis, was
named by Gervias in 1876, based on a skull and mandible described in
1874 by Filhol. Since then five additional species have been named.
Leptadapis magnus has a dental formula of 2:1:4:3 on both the upper and lower jaw. The canines of the lower jaw were well-developed, and the molars had high shearing crests. Based on dental morphology, it most likely had a folivorous diet (Fleagle, 1988).
L. magnus had an average body mass of 4 kilograms. Based upon cranial and canine size, the species may have exhibited sexual dimorphism. The arm bones including the humerus are quite robust and suggest an active climber (Gebo 2002). Leptadapis magnus moved by quadrupedal climbing, and may have been diurnal (Fleagle, 1988).
References
Fleagle, J.G. 1988. Primate Adaptation and Evolution. Academic Press: New York.
Gebo, D.L. 2002. "Adapiformes: Phylogeny and adaptation". In Hartwig, W.C. (ed.). The Primate Fossil Record. Cambridge University Press.
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