Graphic by Mark A. Klinger, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh

[ Menu | Prosimians | New World Monkeys | Old World Monkeys | Gibbons & Great Apes ]

[ Primate Species Index ]                  [ Return to ZOOLOGY | Return to EVOLUTION ]


Prosimians: The Most Ancient Living Primates


Cladogram after Tudge in The Tree of Life
What are Cladograms?

Cladograms show presumed relationships between organisms. Traditionally, the earliest (oldest, most primitive) forms are shown at the top, the most recent (youngest or most derived) at the bottom.

The Prosimians, found chiefly in Madagascar, are listed on this page. The Platyrrhini are the New World monkeys. Cercopithecoidea are Old World monkeys, Hominoidea include the Gibbons, Lesser and Great Apes. A few extinct forms are asterisked.

Taxonomic listings (these pages) generally follow the sequence of Orders, Families and Genera as revealed by such cladograms or taxonomic "trees." These trees are subject to change as newer and better information becomes available, especially from modern genetic and biochemical research.

Learn more about Taxonomy, Systematics and Cladistics at the Taxonomy Page of  this website.

About GREEN notations: pg20 refers to a page in The Pictorial Guide to Living Primates where a photograph may be found. pgn18 is a drawing in the same book by the illustrator Stephen Nash. The book is available at libraries. Request an interlibrary loan if necessary.

Propithecus diadema -- Diademed Sifaka -- [ *duke | wisc | *gww ]
          P. d. candidus -- Silky Sifaka -- [
*smh | *pcom ]
          P. d. edwardsi -- Milne Edward's Sifaka -- [ *rnp ]
          P. d. perrieri -- Perrier's Sifaka -- [ *smh ]
Propithecus tattersalli -- Golden-crowned Sifaka -- [ *duke | *smh | *kids | *cz (at left) ]
Propithecus verreauxi -- Verreaux's Sifaka -- [ *Knight | *wisc | *gww | *tmort | *cz | *krs ]
          P. v. coquereli -- Coquerel's Sifaka -- [ *duke | *lazoo | *copr | *saga ]
          P. v. coronatus -- Crowned Sifaka
          P. v. deckeni -- Decken's Sifaka


[ Menu | Prosimians | New World Monkeys | Old World Monkeys | Gibbons & Great Apes ]