The oldest Asian record of Anthropoidea.

Undisputed anthropoids appear in the fossil record of Africa and Asia by the middle Eocene, about 45 Ma. Here, we report the discovery of an early Eocene eosimiid anthropoid primate from India, named Anthrasimias, that extends the Asian fossil record of anthropoids by 9-10 million years. A phylogenetic analysis of 75 taxa and 343 characters of the skull, postcranium, and dentition of Anthrasimias and living and fossil primates indicates the basal placement of Anthrasimias among eosimiids, confirms the anthropoid status of Eosimiidae, and suggests that crown haplorhines (tarsiers and monkeys) are the sister clade of Omomyoidea of the Eocene, not nested within an omomyoid clade. Co-occurence of Anthropoidea, Omomyoidea, and Adapoidea makes it evident that peninsular India was an important center for the diversification of primates of modern aspect (euprimates) in the early Eocene. Adaptive reconstructions indicate that early anthropoids were mouse-lemur-sized ( approximately 75 grams) and consumed a mixed diet of fruit and insects. Eosimiids bear little adaptive resemblance to later Eocene-early Oligocene African Anthropoidea.

Whales originated from aquatic artiodactyls in the Eocene epoch of India.

Although the first ten million years of whale evolution are documented by a remarkable series of fossil skeletons, the link to the ancestor of cetaceans has been missing. It was known that whales are related to even-toed ungulates (artiodactyls), but until now no artiodactyls were morphologically close to early whales. Here we show that the Eocene south Asian raoellid artiodactyls are the sister group to whales. The raoellid Indohyus is similar to whales, and unlike other artiodactyls, in the structure of its ears and premolars, in the density of its limb bones and in the stable-oxygen-isotope composition of its teeth. We also show that a major dietary change occurred during the transition from artiodactyls to whales and that raoellids were aquatic waders. This indicates that aquatic life in this lineage occurred before the origin of the order Cetacea.

Interspecies differences and variability with time of protein precipitation activity of extractable tannins, crude protein, ash, and dry matter content of leaves from 13 species of Nepalese fodder trees.

Dry matter, ash, crude protein, and protein precipitation activity (PPA) of 13 Nepalese tree fodder species were monitored in dried samples prepared monthly between November 1990 and May 1991, and additionally in November 1991, covering the season when they are particularly important as fodder. Monthly levels of dry matter, ash, and crude protein were fairly stable except when there was new leaf growth, although year to year differences in dry matter were found inBrassaiopsis hainla (Bh),Dendrocalamus strictus (Ds),Ficus roxburghii (Fr), andQuercus semecarpifolia (Qs). Tannin PPA fluctuated considerably inArtocarpus lakoocha (Al),Ficus glaberrima (Fg),F. nerrifolia (Fn), Fr,F. semicordata (Fs),Litsea polyantha (Lp), andPrunus cerasoides (Pc), and to a lesser extent in Bh,Castanopsis indica (Ci),C. tribuloides (Ct),Quercus lamellosa (Ql), and Qs. Similar fluctuations in PPA were observed in fresh leaf samples taken weekly. Ds did not have any detectable PPA. Trends in PPA fluctuation were generally similar for trees located at similar altitudes. Fr, Pc, Al, Fn, Ql, and Ci had falling PPAs before shedding leaves. Some of the fluctuations in Fr, Fs, Fg, Pc, and Lp were apparently due to changes in the extractability and quantity of condensed tannins. These fluctuations in PPA may affect the nutritive value of the fodders.