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Carpolestids Temporal range: Middle Paleocene - Early Eocene
Carpolestes simpsoni
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Plesiadapiformes
Family:	†Carpolestidae Simpson, 1935
Genera
†Parvocristes †Elphidotarsius †Carpodaptes †Carpolestes †Carpomegodon

Carpolestidae is a family of primate-like Plesiadapiformes that were prevalent in North America and Asia from the mid Paleocene through the early Eocene. Typically, they are characterized by two large upper posterior premolars and one large lower posterior premolar. They weighed about 20-150g, and were about the size of a mouse. Though they come from the order, Plesiadapiformes, that may have given rise to the primate order, carpolestids are too specialized and derived to be ancestors of primates.

Historically, the almost twenty species included within the family were thought to have given rise to each other over time in a linear and straightforward manner. Still today it is widely assumed that Elphidotarsius from the mid to late Paleocene gave rise to Carpodaptes which lived in the late Paleocene and subsequently gave rise to Carpolestes from the early Eocene. As a result, they have been used as biostratigraphic indicators in a variety of paleontological digs. However, the phylogenetic picture has been complicated by the discovery in Asia of both ancestral and derived carpolestids in the same stratigraphic layer.

References

Fleagle, J. G. 2013. Primate Adaptation and Evolution. San Diego, Academic Press.

Mikko's Phylogeny Archive

v t e Euarchontoglires
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Infraclass: Placentalia
Euarchontoglires †Apatemyidae? Aethomylos Apatemys Asiapator Carcinella Frugivastodon Heterohyus Jepsenella Labidolemur Sinclairella Unuchinia †Picrodontidae? Draconodus Picrodus Zanycteris Gliriformes †Apatemyidae? †Picrodontidae? †Zalambdalestidae? †Anagalidae Anagale Anagalopsis Anaptogale Chianshania Diacronus Eosigale Hsiuannania Huaiyangale Interogale Linnania Qipania Stenanagale Wanogale Zofiagale †Arctostylopidae? Allostylops Anatolostylops Arctostylops Asiostylops Bothriostylops Enantiostylops Kazachostylops Migrostylops Palaeostylops Sinostylops Stenostylops Wanostylops †Astigalidae Astigale Yupingale Zhujegale †Pseudictopidae Allictops Anictops Cartictops Haltictops Paranictops Pseudictops Suyinia Glires Duplicidentata Simplicidentata Euarchonta Scandentia Ptilocercus Tupaiidae Anathana Dendrogale †Palaeotupaia †Prodendrogale †Sivatupaia Tupaia Primatomorpha Dermoptera †Mixodectidae? Dracontolestes Eudaemonema Mixodectes †Plagiomenidae? Ellesmene Plagiomene Planetetherium Worlandia Cynocephalidae Cynocephalus †Dermotherium Galeopterus Pan-Primates see below↓
Pan-Primates Pan-Primates †Asioplesiadapis †Pandemonium †Russellodon †Picrodontidae? †Purgatoriidae? Purgatorius Ursolestes †Micromomyidae Chalicomomys Dryomomys Foxomomys Micromomys Tinimomys †Picromomyidae Alveojunctus Picromomys †Microsyopidae Arctodontomys Bartelsia Berruvius Choctawius Craseops Megadelphus Microsyops Nanomomys Navajovius Niptomomys Uintasorex †Toliapinidae Avenius Toliapina †Paromomyoidea Paromomyidae Acidomomys Arcius Edworthia Elwynella Ignacius Paromomys Phenacolemur Palaechthonidae Anasazia Palaechthon Palenochtha Phoxomylus Plesiolestes Premnoides Talpohenach Torrejonia †Plesiadapoidea Chronolestes Plesiadapidae Chiromyoides Nannodectes Platychoerops Plesiadapis Pronothodectes Carpolestidae Carpocristes Carpodaptes Carpolestes Carpomegodon Elphidotarsius Saxonella Subengius Crown-Primates Strepsirrhini see Strepsirrhini Haplorhini see Haplorhini
See also: Anagaloidea Plesiadapiformes Category

• Plesiadapiformes
• Paleocene first appearances
• Prehistoric mammal families