Bugtilemur

{{Short description|Extinct genus of primates}}

{{Speciesbox

| taxon = Bugtilemur mathesoni

| extinct = yes

| parent_authority = Marivaux et al., 2001

| authority = Marivaux et al., 2001

| fossil_range = Early Oligocene

| image =

| image_caption =

}}

Bugtilemur is an extinct genus of Strepsirhine primate belonging to the adapiform family Ekgmowechashalidae.It is represented by only one species, B. mathesoni, which was found in the Chitarwata Formation of Pakistan.{{cite web | title=Bugtilemur | publisher=The Paleobiology Database | url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=131786 | access-date = 2009-07-08}}

When first described, Bugtilemur was classified in the lemur family Cheirogaleidae, complicating the picture of the early evolution of lemurs by suggesting that lemurs originated in Asia.{{cite journal | publisher = American Association For The Advancement Of Science | title = Earliest Evidence Of Lemurs Discovered In Pakistan, Far From Their Current Home, Science Reports | journal = ScienceDaily | volume = 294 | pages = 587–591 | date = 22 October 2001 | url = https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/10/011019075135.htm | access-date = 2009-07-08}}

Described from a few teeth, the specimen possesses a lower canine that, according to Marivaux et al., confirms the presence of the strepsirrhine-specific toothcomb. Furthermore, on the basis of cheektooth morphology, the molars share strong affinities with those of the genus Cheirogaleus (dwarf lemurs).{{cite journal | last = Marivaux | first = L. |author2=Welcomme, J.-L. |author3=Antoine, P.-O. |author4=Metais, G. |author5=Baloch, I. M. |author6=Benammi, M. |author7=Chaimanee, Y. |author8=Ducrocq, S. |author9= Jaeger, J.-J. | title = A fossil lemur from the Oligocene of Pakistan | journal = Science | volume = 294 | pages = 587–591 | date = 19 October 2001 | doi = 10.1126/science.1065257 | pmid = 11641497 | issue = 5542 | bibcode=2001Sci...294..587M| s2cid = 10585152 }} However, Bugtilemur appears to be much smaller than the extant Malagasy genus and its toothcomb was shorter and broader.{{cite book |editor1=Gould, Lisa |editor2=Sauther, Michelle L. | title = Lemurs: Ecology and Adaptation (Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects) | edition = 1 | publisher = Springer | date = 2006 | pages = 8–9 | isbn = 978-0-387-34585-7 }} More recently, the structure and general presence of the toothcomb in Bugtilemur has been questioned, as well as many other dental features, suggesting that it is most likely an adapiform.{{Cite journal | last1 = Godinot | first1 = M. | doi = 10.1159/000095391 | title = Lemuriform origins as viewed from the fossil record | journal = Folia Primatologica | volume = 77 | issue = 6| pages = 446–464| year = 2006 | pmid = 17053330| s2cid = 24163044 }} The adapiform nature of Bugtilemur was confirmed in a 2016 cladistic analysis that recovered it in the family Ekgmowechashalidae, which is more consistent with the lemur fossil record.{{Cite journal|last1=Ni|first1=Xijun|last2=Li|first2=Qiang|last3=Li|first3=Lüzhou|last4=Beard|first4=K. Christopher|date=2016-05-06|title=Oligocene primates from China reveal divergence between African and Asian primate evolution|journal=Science|language=en|volume=352|issue=6286|pages=673–677|doi=10.1126/science.aaf2107|issn=0036-8075|pmid=27151861|bibcode=2016Sci...352..673N|doi-access=free}}