PMO 214.214 and WDC-MG-210 are the two slabs of the Darwinius masillae holotype; adapiform and higher-level placement remain analysis-bounded rather than ancestral claims.
claim:taxon:darwinius:taxonomyDarwinius
Part and counterpart of one juvenile skeleton preserve unusually complete anatomy, soft-tissue outline and gut contents, while preparation history and phylogenetic placement require explicit qualification.
Represented range47.5–47.5 Ma
Content packageprimates
PBDBtxn:147599
Evidence boundary
Automated checks cover structure, identifiers, translations and links only; maintainer and external expert review are not complete.
Claim ledger
The profile is restricted to the Messel Pit occurrence in Germany and does not imply a wider genus distribution.
claim:taxon:darwinius:biogeographyGut contents and limb anatomy support plant-feeding and arboreal interpretations for one juvenile, not observed lifetime behaviour for the genus.
claim:taxon:darwinius:ecologyThe articulated juvenile preserves a complete tail, hands, a right foot, soft-tissue outline and gut contents, with disclosed restoration on one slab.
claim:taxon:darwinius:morphologyThe 47.5 Ma display point represents the Messel holotype horizon and is not a global adapiform or primate first appearance.
claim:taxon:darwinius:fossil-rangeKnown limits
- A missing branch or fossil occurrence does not imply biological absence. Internal nodes are not calibrated divergence estimates.
References
- Complete Primate Skeleton from the Middle Eocene of Messel in Germany: Morphology and PaleobiologyFranzen, J.L.; Gingerich, P.D.; Habersetzer, J.; Hurum, J.H.; von Koenigswald, W.; Smith, B.H. · 2009 · DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0005723
- Open Tree of Life web servicesOpenTreeOfLife Project
- The Paleobiology Database application programming interfacePeters, S.E.; McClennen, M. · 2016 · DOI 10.1017/pab.2015.39
- Denormalized occurrence and taxon tables of the Paleobiology DatabaseThe Paleobiology Database Community; Kocsis, Á.T. · 2026 · DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21620933