Ignacius

Not to be confused with Ignatius.

Ignacius
Temporal range: Mid Paleocene-Late Eocene (Torrejonian-Chadronian)
~61.7–33.9 Ma
Restoration of Ignacius graybullianus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Plesiadapiformes
Family: †Paromomyidae
Tribe: †Phenacolemurini
Genus: †Ignacius
Matthew and Granger, 1921[1][2]
Type species
†Ignacius frugivorus
Matthew and Granger, 1921
Species
  • †I. clarkforkensis Bloch et al. 2007
  • †I. dawsonae Miller et al. 2023
  • †I. fremontensis Gazin 1971
  • †I. glenbowensis Scott et al. 2023
  • †I. graybullianus Bown and Rose 1976
  • †I. mckennai Miller et al. 2023

Ignacius is a genus of extinct mammal from the early Cenozoic era. This genus is present in the fossil record from around 62-33 Ma (late Torrejonian-Chadronian North American Land Mammals Ages).[3][4] The earliest known specimens of Ignacius come from the Torrejonian of the Fort Union Formation, Wyoming[5] and the most recent known specimens from Ellesmere Island in northern Canada.[1] Ignacius is one of ten genera within the family Paromomyidae, the longest living family of any plesiadapiforms, persisting for around 30 Ma during the Paleocene and Eocene epochs.[6] The analyses of postcranial fossils by paleontologists suggest that members of the family Paromomyidae, including the genus Ignacius, most likely possessed adaptations for arboreality.[7]

  1. ^ a b Miller, K.; Tietjen, K.; Beard, K.C. (January 2023). "Basal Primatomorpha colonized Ellesmere Island (Arctic Canada) during the hyperthermal conditions of the early Eocene climatic optimum". PLOS ONE. 18 (1): e0280114. Bibcode:2023PLoSO..1880114M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0280114. PMC 9876366. PMID 36696373.
  2. ^ Matthew, W.D.; Granger, W. (September 1921). "New genera of Paleocene mammals" (PDF). American Museum Novitates (13): 1–7.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference r1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference r4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference r5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).