Lemur

Lemurs are part of a class of primates known as prosimians, and make up the infraorder Lemuriformes. This type of primate was the evolutionary predecessor of monkeys and apes (simians). The term "lemur" is derived from the Latin word lemures, which means "spirits of the night". This likely refers to many lemurs' nocturnal behavior and their large, reflective eyes. It is generically used for the members of the four lemuriform families, but it is also the genus of one of the lemuriform species. The two flying lemur species are not lemurs, nor are they even primates.

Classification

As shown here, the four families of lemurs are split into two superfamilies. The Cheirogaleidae have a pedal structure, similar to the other strepsirrhine families and the haplorrhines, suggesting they split off from the other lemurs first. As such, the Cheirogaleoidea are a sister clade to the Lemuroidea.

Related Topics:
Cheirogaleidae - Strepsirrhine - Haplorrhine - Clade

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• ORDER PRIMATES
• Suborder Strepsirrhini: non-tarsier prosimians
• Infraorder Lemuriformes
• Superfamily Cheirogaleoidea
• Family Cheirogaleidae: dwarf and mouse lemurs
• Superfamily Lemuroidea
• Family Lemuridae: lemurs
• Family Lepilemuridae: sportive lemurs
• Family Indridae: woolly lemurs and allies
• Infraorder Chiromyiformes
• Infraorder Lorisiformes
• Suborder Haplorrhini: tarsiers, monkeys and apes