Re: A Wild Hare [not dino related]

[Nick Pharris <npharris@umich.edu>]

Quoting david peters <davidrpeters@earthlink.net>:

> http://www.batcon.org/batsmag/v3n2-1.html
>
> Are flying foxes really primates?

Short answer:  No.

Long answer:  Recent molecular studies have thoroughly refuted the 
hypothesis that bats are diphyletic, with megabats closer to primates.  
Last I heard, molecular evidence was even indicating that 
Microchiroptera is actually paraphyletic with respect to 
Megachiroptera, and that bats are on a totally different branch (no pun 
intended) from primates on the placental tree (hanging out with shrews, 
true ungulates, carnivores, and pangolins).


> > In the above paper is a ref [not copied] for some soft-tissue
> cladistic work describing a close association between lagomorphs and 
> primates.

Interesting.  Molecular evidence also indicates that rabbits + rodents 
are close to primates + tree shrews + colugos.


> 1. Do eurymlids have a large diastema like Gomphos, lagomorphs and 
> rodents do?

Not familiar with them.


> 2. I know that a basal primate, Plesiadapis, has a large diastema, 
> among other interesting characters.

May not be a primate; possibly closer to dermapterans, though (AFAIK) 
still an archontan.


> 3.  Did the two large diastemas, so close to each other on the tree, 
> develop convergently? Or is there another connection?
>
> And in a worst-case scenario, wouldn't that be weird?

Not really.  Highly related to food processing; diastemata appear to 
have arisen many times among mammals.

Nick Pharris
Department of Linguistics
University of Michigan