Earliest Complete Dentition of an Anthropoid from the Eocene

A new species located in the Yuanqu Basin, Shanxi Province, China named eosimias centennicus has shed light on the formation of early primates. The specimens collected of this small primate include a complete lower mandible (only lower left incisors missing) never before found. The information stemming from this dentition confirms anthropoid affinities of Eosimiidae, which in turn gives new data of an earlier structural step in the origin and evolution of higher primates despite its primitive characteristics. Given this new information geographic assessments can be made; it can be argued that by the mid-Eocene there were present higher primates living from Algeria to eastern China.

Beard, K Christopher, Tong, Yongsheng, Dawson, Mary R, Wang, Jingwen, Huang, Xueshi.
"Earliest Complete Dentition of an Anthropoid Primate from the Late Middle Eocene of Shanxi Province, China" Science. Washington: Apr 5, 1996, 272(5258) pg. 82-85