Plesiadapidae

Plesiadapidae is a family of plesiadapiform mammals related to primates known from the Paleocene and Eocene of North America, Europe, and Asia.^[1][2] Plesiadapids were abundant in the late Paleocene, and their fossils are often used to establish the ages of fossil faunas.^[3]

Plesiadapidae Temporal range: early Paleocene - early Eocene
Plesiadapis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Plesiadapiformes
Superfamily:	†Plesiadapoidea
Family:	†Plesiadapidae Trouessart, 1897
Genera
†Pronothodectes †Chiromyoides †Nannodectes †Plesiadapis †Platychoerops †Jattadectes
Synonyms
Plesiadapinae Trouessart, 1897

Classification

McKenna and Bell^[1] recognized two subfamilies (Plesiadapinae and Saxonellinae) and one unassigned genus (Pandemonium) within Plesiadapidae. More recently Saxonella (the only saxonelline) and Pandemonium have been excluded from the family,^[4] leaving only a redundant Plesiadapinae. Within the family, Pronothodectes is the likely ancestor of all other genera, while Plesiadapis may be directly ancestral to both Chiromyoides and Platychoerops.^[3]